cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cystic medial necrosis and internal carotid artery dissection in a marfan sibling: Partial expression of marfan syndrome

Only rare cases of primary extra-aortic cystic medial necrosis and cervicocephalic arterial dissections have been reported in Marfan syndrome. We report an apparently traumatic dissection of the internal carotid artery in a woman whose brother had classic Marfan syndrome. The patient herself had no apparent manifestations of the syndrome, but she had cystic medial necrosis and significant loss of elastic fibers of the media. In Marfan syndrome, the penetrance of the gene can be quite variable, such that some members of the same family may show the full syndrome, whereas others reveal only the rudiments of the syndrome or, perhaps as exemplified by the case reported here, only manifest microscopic arterial abnormalities.
Flexible isotropic antenna using a split ring resonator on a thin film substrate

Isotropic antennas on thin Kapton films have been designed using a small dipole antenna and a split ring resonator (SRR) for 2.4 GHz applications. The size of the designed antenna is 0.24λ x 0.24λ and the electrical size (ka) is 0.75. The antenna has an isotropic radiation pattern and the maximum gain is 1.83dB. If the antenna is attached on a curved surface, the operating frequency increases as the radius of the surface decreases since the electrical length of the antenna decreases. When the radius of the surface is 0.04λ, the volume of the cylindrical antenna is 0.24λ x 0.08λ x 0.08λ and the radiation pattern is still isotropic.
Signal correlation using a one-dimensional electroabsorptive CCD spatial light modulator

Electrically addressed spatial light modulation (SLM) may be carried out in a GaAs charge-coupled device (CCD) by charge-transfer control of the electroabsorption in the individual storage wells. One-dimensional modulator arrays may be utilized in both space-integrating and time-integrating correlators operated as incoherent optical processors. In the space-integrating case, one SLM controlled by the input signal is operated in cascade with a second SLM controlled by a reference waveform. This arrangement yields a single-detector output which is the correlation as a function of time. In the time-integrating correlator, the input signal is carried by the light source while a single SLM with a traveling reference wave controls the output intensity to a detector array. The modulator arrays may be operated with the light at normal incidence to a CCD with transparent gates or in a guided-wave mode, where the light propagates beneath the gate electrodes and parallel to the surface. The calculated dynamic range is greater for the guided-wave case because of the greater depth of modulation, although the fabrication and optical coupling are more critical. Space-integrating correlator performance is limited by "bleaching" or well-filling by the modulated light and predicted dynamic ranges are 20 dB for normal-incidence operation and 40 dB for the guided-wave mode. In the time-integrating correlator, saturation of the detector array is limiting, but the 100-percent modulation available in the input optical source yields 35-dB dynamic range for normal-incidence and 55 dB for guided-wave operation.
Effects of central administration of opioids on facial scratching in monkeys

Abstract Epidural and intrathecal administration of opioids to humans can produce facial pruritus and scratching that is naloxone reversible. It has been proposed that opioids may act at the level of the medulla to produce facial pruritus and associated scratching behavior. We investigated the effects of μ, δ and κ opioid-receptor agonists microinjected unilaterally into the medullary dorsal horn (MDH) on facial scratching in cynomologus monkeys. The selective μ opioid-receptor agonist, DAMGO (3,1–25.0 ng) produced large dose-dependent, naloxone-reversible increases in facial scratches. The selective δ opioid-receptor agonist, DPDPE (1.0–5.0 μg) and the selective κ opioid-receptor agonist, U-50,488H (0.1–5.0 μg) did not produce significant increases in facial scratching behavior. We conclude that the MDH is a site where DAMGO, a μ opioid-receptor agonist, can act to produce facial scratching in monkeys, and that the MDH is likely the site where centrally administered opioids act to produce facial pruritus in humans.
Extraordinary sequence divergence at Tsga8, an X-linked gene involved in mouse spermiogenesis

The X chromosome plays an important role in both adaptive evolution and speciation. We used a molecular evolutionary screen of X-linked genes potentially involved in reproductive isolation in mice to identify putative targets of recurrent positive selection. We then sequenced five very rapidly evolving genes within and between several closely related species of mice in the genus Mus. All five genes were involved in male reproduction and four of the genes showed evidence of recurrent positive selection. The most remarkable evolutionary patterns were found at Testis-specific gene a8 (Tsga8), a spermatogenesis-specific gene expressed during postmeiotic chromatin condensation and nuclear transformation. Tsga8 was characterized by extremely high levels of insertion‐deletion variation of an alanine-rich repetitive motif in natural populations of Mus domesticus and M. musculus, differing in length from the reference mouse genome by up to 89 amino acids (27% of the total protein length). This population-level variation was coupled with striking divergence in protein sequence and length between closely related mouse species. Although no clear orthologs had previously been described for Tsga8 in other mammalian species, we have identified a highly divergent hypothetical gene on the rat X chromosome that shares clear orthology with the 5# and 3# ends of Tsga8. Further inspection of this ortholog verified that it is expressed in rat testis and shares remarkable similarity with mouse Tsga8 across several general features of the protein sequence despite no conservation of nucleotide sequence across over 60% of the rat-coding domain. Overall, Tsga8 appears to be one of the most rapidly evolving genes to have been described in rodents. We discuss the potential evolutionary causes and functional implications of this extraordinary divergence and the possible contribution of Tsga8 and the other four genes we examined to reproductive isolation in mice.
A transform solution for the fields from a current element

A new but general method of solution applicable to any radiation problem which can be reduced to an inhomogeneous wave equation for an arbitrary source in a given medium is used to solve for the vector potential of an infinitesimal dipole radiating in free space. The solution of this simple problem yields insight into the use of this method for the solution of more complicated problems.
Special Issue on Electromechanical Properties of High-Temperature Superconductors

The eight papers in this special issue cover topics ranging from measurements of the electromechanical performance of conductors to help ensure the success of their commercial application to measurements aimed at creating a deeper understanding of how superconductivity is affected by strain.
Undue Influence as Coercive Offers in Clinical Trials

Coercion has been conceptually connected with threats. Under the standard account of coercion, threats propose to make the victim “worse off” than his or her baseline, or where he or she was before the proposer intervened in the victim’s causal nexus. This model of coercion that focuses only on the notion of threats does not go far enough to capture cases where the victim’s vulnerability is taken advantage of to accomplish the coercion. In the kinds of cases I have in mind, no threats are used or needed. Clinical trials conducted in developing nations, for example, are at risk of taking advantage of the vulnerabilities of the subjects that can rise to the level of coercion. In this paper, I will consider the question whether in some instances clinical trials with vulnerable populations involve coercion that is accomplished not with threats but rather through offers. There is widespread agreement that protection of the welfare and rights of research subjects, wherever they live, must be of the highest priority and not subordinated to the ends of research. Research subjects should not have their interests or welfare compromised for the ends of others. This protection of research subjects has been delineated as a human right in the Nuremberg Code; it requires the informed voluntary consent of all participants in experimental research. The Declaration of Helsinki, drafted originally in 1964 by the World Medical Association, enumerated a list of duties and responsibilities compliance with which is expected of all physicians engaged in experimental research with humans and it specifies minimum rights for individuals participating in experimental research. Foremost among them is that there be informed consent. The World Health Organization (WHO), the health and human rights arm of the United Nations, established the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences
Fracture fixation with two locking screws versus three non-locking screws: A biomechanical comparison in a normal and an osteoporotic bone model.

Objectives We aimed to further evaluate the biomechanical characteristics of two locking screws versus three standard bicortical screws in synthetic models of normal and osteoporotic bone. Methods Synthetic tubular bone models representing normal bone density and osteoporotic bone density were used. Artificial fracture gaps of 1 cm were created in each specimen before fixation with one of two constructs: 1) two locking screws using a five-hole locking compression plate (LCP) plate; or 2) three non-locking screws with a seven-hole LCP plate across each side of the fracture gap. The stiffness, maximum displacement, mode of failure and number of cycles to failure were recorded under progressive cyclic torsional and eccentric axial loading. Results Locking plates in normal bone survived 10% fewer cycles to failure during cyclic axial loading, but there was no significant difference in maximum displacement or failure load. Locking plates in osteoporotic bone showed less displacement (p = 0.02), but no significant difference in number of cycles to failure or failure load during cyclic axial loading (p = 0.46 and p = 0.25, respectively). Locking plates in normal bone had lower stiffness and torque during torsion testing (both p = 0.03), but there was no significant difference in rotation (angular displacement) (p = 0.84). Locking plates in osteoporotic bone showed lower torque and rotation (p = 0.008), but there was no significant difference in stiffness during torsion testing (p = 0.69). Conclusions The mechanical performance of locking plate constructs, using only two screws, is comparable to three non-locking screw constructs in osteoporotic bone. Normal bone loaded with either an axial or torsional moment showed slightly better performance with the non-locking construct.
Romk1 Knockout Mice Do Not Produce Bartter Phenotype but Exhibit Impaired K Excretion

Romk knock-out mice show a similar phenotype to Bartter syndrome of salt wasting and dehydration due to reduced Na-K-2Cl-cotransporter activity. At least three ROMK isoforms have been identified in the kidney; however, unique functions of any of the isoforms in nephron segments are still poorly understood. We have generated a mouse deficient only in Romk1 by selective deletion of the Romk1-specific first exon using an ES cell Cre-LoxP strategy and examined the renal phenotypes, ion transporter expression, ROMK channel activity, and localization under normal and high K intake. Unlike Romk(-/-) mice, there was no Bartter phenotype with reduced NKCC2 activity and increased NCC expression in Romk1(-/-) mice. The small conductance K channel (SK) activity showed no difference of channel properties or gating in the collecting tubule between Romk1(+/+) and Romk1(-/-) mice. High K intake increased SK channel number per patch and increased the ROMK channel intensity in the apical membrane of the collecting tubule in Romk1(+/+), but such regulation by high K intake was diminished with significant hyperkalemia in Romk1(-/-) mice. We conclude that 1) animal knockouts of ROMK1 do not produce Bartter phenotype. 2) There is no functional linking of ROMK1 and NKCC2 in the TAL. 3) ROMK1 is critical in response to high K intake-stimulated K(+) secretion in the collecting tubule.
Assignment Research Calculator: Designing and implementing a customized product to reach your students

The original Assignment Calculator from the University of Minnesota is a free open-source tool which helps students manage time and organize the steps of a research project.1 It provides a schedule and timeline for each step, and includes tips and outside links to more information. The head of instruction and outreach services in the Henry Madden Library recognized the value of this popular tool, but felt we could expand on its potential for students and faculty here at California State University-Fresno. We accomplished this by tailoring it to our own library and campus resources, staff and services, thus making it . . .
The Effects of Collective Bargaining Rights on Public Employee Compensation Evidence from Teachers, Firefighters, and Police

Widespread public-sector unionism emerged only in the 1960s, as individual states opened the door to collective bargaining for state and municipal workers. In this study, the author exploits differences in timing of legislative reforms across states to construct estimates of the causal effects of public-sector collective bargaining rights on pay, benefits, and employment for teachers, firefighters, and police. Perhaps surprisingly, estimates that allow for state fixed effects and state-specific trends show little effect on teachers’ pay, benefits, or employment, despite significantly increasing union presence among teachers. For firefighters, the results show a substantial positive effect on wages. For police, the wage effect was more modest but the workweek was significantly shortened.
Rhetoric of Counsel in Thomas Elyot's Pasquil the Playne

Pasquil the Playne , a dialogue written by the English Humanist Thomas Elyot (1490–1546), was inspired by Elyot9s unsuccessful experience as a counselor to Henry VIII. Seizing on this biographical context, historians have read the dialogue as a product of Elyot9s disillusionment, identifying Elyot with the blunt, truth-telling Pasquil. In contrast this paper reads Pasquil the Playne as a multi-voiced Lucianic dialogue, which gives expression to several perspectives on the rhetoric of counsel. This reading problematizes questions of appropriateness ( prepon ) and right timing (kairos) in giving advice to a prince. Moreover, Elyot exploits the open-ended spirit of the Lucianic dialogue to attempt to develop in the reader the prudential reasoning ( phronesis ) essential to wise counsel.
Problems and Countermeasure to the System of Faculty Employment under Contract in China's Universities

The system of faculty employment under contract is a new management model to human resource management in China's universities.This system aims at motivating faculty to work hard on their job,enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of management in universities,optimizing the structure of faculty.In practice,there are some phenomena,such as the audit on application material is not standardized,the requirement on the expert in evaluation is not clear,and the system of faculty employment is affected by some personnel elements.And the related suggestions are given.
Abstract A18: Mismatch repair proteins recruit DNA methyltransferase 1 to sites of oxidative DNA damage

At sites of chronic inflammation, epithelial cells are exposed to high levels of reactive oxygen species and undergo cancer-associated DNA methylation changes, suggesting that inflammation may initiate epigenetic alterations. Previously, we demonstrated that oxidative damage causes epigenetic silencing proteins to become part of a large complex that is localized to GC-rich regions of the genome, including promoter CpG islands that are epigenetically silenced in cancer. However, whether these proteins were recruited directly to damaged DNA or during the DNA repair process was unknown. Here we demonstrate that the mismatch repair protein heterodimer MSH2-MSH6 participates in the oxidative damage-induced recruitment of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) to chromatin. Hydrogen peroxide treatment induces the interaction of MSH2-MSH6 with DNMT1, suggesting that the recruitment is through a protein−protein interaction. Importantly, the reduction in transcription for genes with CpG island-containing promoters caused by oxidative damage is abrogated by knockdown of MSH6 and/or DNMT1. Our findings provide evidence that the role of DNMT1 at sites of oxidative damage is to reduce transcription, potentially preventing transcription from interfering with the repair process. This study uniquely brings together several factors that are known to contribute to colon cancer, namely inflammation, mismatch repair proteins, and epigenetic changes. Citation Format: Ning Ding, Emily M. Bonham, Brooke E. Hannon, Stephen B. Baylin, Heather M. O9Hagan. Mismatch repair proteins recruit DNA methyltransferase 1 to sites of oxidative DNA damage. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Chromatin and Epigenetics in Cancer; Sep 24-27, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A18.
Seismo-Acoustic Benchmark Problems Involving Sloping Solid–Solid Interfaces and Variable Topography

The accuracy of the seismo-acoustic parabolic equation is tested for problems involving sloping solid–solid interfaces and variable topography. The approach involves approximating the medium in terms of a series of range-independent regions, using a parabolic wave equation to propagate the field through each region, and applying a single-scattering approximation to obtain transmitted fields across the vertical interfaces between regions. The accuracy of the parabolic equation method for range-dependent problems in seismo-acoustics was previously tested in the small slope limit. It is tested here for problems involving larger slopes using a finite-element model to generate reference solutions.
A Semiotic of Dreams: Pragmatic Forks in the Royal Road

Once upon a time not so long ago in a galaxy not so far away, a young angel of the Tenth order of the Fourth Cherubim, who oversee Sentience in Creation, visited a provincial star. Although the sentience monitors would not call for another visitation from Los, the Universal Artificer in charge of the Fourth, for another 150 years or so, this angel, whose speciality was cultural mitosis, decided to push the inhabitants toward wisdom. The probationary angel did love the creatures, and it decided to drive them a little crazy to start them on the Path. Although a high-risk procedure, his plan would complicate the inhabitants’ consciousness enough that they would gain the perspective capable of leading to Wisdom.
PROCESSING ISSUES IN COMPARISONS OF SYMBOLIC AND CONNECTIONIST LEARNING SYSTEMS

Symbolic and connectionist learning strategies are receiving much attention. Comparative studies should qualify the advantages of systems from each paradigm. However, these systems make differing assumptions along several dimensions, thus complicating the design of ‘fair’ experimental comparisons. This paper describes our comparative studies of ID3 and back-propagation and suggests experimental dimensions that may be useful in cross-paradigm experimental design.
Long-term rate of graft failure after ACL reconstruction: a geographic population cohort analysis

Graft failure following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is a devastating injury among patients returning to activity. The goals of this study were to define the long-term rate of graft failure after ACLR in the general population and evaluate factors associated with graft failure. This long-term observational study included a population-based incidence cohort of patients who underwent primary ACLR after diagnosis with new-onset, isolated ACL tears between 1990 and 2010. For all patients, a chart review was performed to collect information related to the initial injury, treatment, and outcomes. Patients were retrospectively followed to determine the incidence of graft failure following ACLR. The study cohort consisted of 1355 patients with new-onset, isolated ACL tears treated with ACLR. At a mean follow-up of 10.0 years (±6.4 years) following ACLR, a total of 72 patients (5.3 %) sustained ipsilateral graft failure. The graft survival following ACLR was 99.7 % at 1 year, 96 % at 5 years, 94 % at 10 years, 93 % at 15 years, 92 % at 20 years and 91 % at 25 years. Among patients 22 years or younger (n = 571), the rate of graft failure was significantly higher compared to patients older than 22 years (6.3 vs. 4.6 %, p = 0.04). The rate of graft failure decreased significantly over the 21-year observation period of this study (p < 0.0001). Among all patients receiving primary ACLR, graft failure remains an uncommon but functionally devastating outcome with an estimated graft survival rate of 91 % at 25 years following surgery. Patients aged 22 or younger had a significantly higher rate of graft failure than older patients. The rate of graft failure decreased over the 21-year span of this study. Retrospective case series, Level IV.
Incorporating Tactile Cues into Human-Centered Virtual Product Design

This study introduces a high-fidelity tactile feedback mechanism to capture ergonomics attributes of users inside virtual product development cycle. The research question posed regards whether the tactile feedback mechanism in virtual experiment proposes high fidelity of ergonomics results when compared to physical experiment outcomes. This question was evaluated through an objective and a subjective study. Objective study was composed of an ergonomics product assessment experiment, where two different cart designs a commercial cart and a prototype model were evaluated for ergonomic adequacy L4/L5 compression forces. Subjective evaluation was consisted of a questionnaire to assess subjects' preferences regarding which cart model they preferred in three different design categories; maneuverability, accessibility, and ergonomics. Results showed that tactile feedback mechanism was able to replicate the physical test conditions in virtual environment with high fidelity, and prototype cart model received higher mean ratings when compared to commercial cart model in each design category.
Effects of Power Lines on Performance of Home Control System

Home control system (HCS) helps to monitor and control the home appliances as well as security aspects of the digital home that is expected to be the standard for the future home. Chiefly, HCS is an integration of home appliance control systems (HACS) and home security systems (HSS). HACS enables the home-owner to control appliances such as stove, refrigerator, air-conditioner, and the like, remotely, while the HSS helps to monitor the status of various networked security devices in the home and control certain aspects of the devices. Monitoring and control may be done by a personal digital device such as a laptop, PDA, telephone, or even a cell phone. One of the technologies widely used by HCS to connect the home controller with the appliances, equipments, and devices, is the X10 protocol that uses power lines for data transmission. In this paper we analyze the performance of power lines for HCS and suggest recommendations that will help increase the performance of HCS.
Valvular Heart Disease

Primary valvular heart disease remains a source of significant morbidity and mortality. Over 5 million Americans are living with valvular heart disease and nearly 100,000 undergo valve surgery each year (1). Valvular heart disease is often first identified after a murmur is appreciated during a primary care visit and subsequently characterized by echocardiography (Fig. 1) (2). Optimal management of valvular heart disease requires close collaboration among primary care physicians, cardiologists, and cardiac surgeons. With timely recognition and appropriate referral to cardiac specialists, in most instances patients with valvular heart disease can lead a normal life span.
Management of the psychological comorbidities of dermatological conditions: practitioners' guidelines

Dermatological disease can be devastating for patients, and although dermatologists are focused on remedying the cutaneous manifestations of these conditions, it is easy to miss the psychological suffering lurking below. Studies reveal that psychiatric comorbidity in dermatology is highly prevalent. Undetected psychopathology can greatly decrease a patient's quality of life and even contribute significantly to the clinical severity of their skin disease. For these reasons, it is vital that practitioners learn to detect psychological distress when it is present, and it is equally essential that they understand the treatment options available for effective intervention. Without training in psychiatric diagnosis and psychopharmacology, dermatologists can easily feel overwhelmed or out of their comfort zone when faced with the need to manage such conditions, but with the negative stigma associated with psychiatric disease in general, a psychiatric referral is often refused by patients, and the dermatologist is thus left with the responsibility. Uncertainty abounds in such situations, but this review seeks to alleviate the discomfort with psychodermatological disease and share practical and impactful recommendations to assist in diagnosis and treatment. In a busy dermatology clinic, the key is effective and efficient screening, combined with a repertoire of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options that can be dispersed through an algorithmic approach according to the specific findings of that screening. By implementing these recommendations into practice, dermatologists may begin to gain comfort with the management of psychocutaneous disease and, as a specialty, may expand to fill a hole in patient care that is truly significant for patients, their families, and our communities as a whole.
Multiple cortical representations of optic flow processing

When an observer moves through the environment, moving images form on his or her retinae. The visual perception of self-motion is provided by expanding or contracting visual fields projected on the retina. Gibson (1950) called this particular motion, originated by the observer’s own navigation, “Optic Flow”. He noted that when an observer moves forward, fixating his or her final destination, the expanding visual field seems to originate from a specific point and he named this point “Focus of Expansion” (FOE). In everyday life, self-motion perception is more complicated, because eye and vestibular movements almost always occur together with the optic flow. For example, during locomotion, we experience retinal flow, composed of the translational and rotational components of eye, head and body movements, and optic flow (Lappe et al., 1999). Although all the self–motion perception mechanisms are not clear yet, it seems that the visual system analyzes the visual component, i.e. the optic flow, first and then it combines the optic flow with the other retinal and extraretinal signals in order to construct a dynamic map of extrapersonal space suitable for self–motion guidance (Regan & Beverley, 1982; Warren & Hannon, 1990; Lappe et al., 1999).
An Access Mechanism for Embedded Sensors in Modern SoCs

With technology scaling, the number of sensors integrated into modern system-on-chip (SoC) designs has increased greatly over the past several years. These sensors must be accessed for a number of reasons (test, configuration, calibration, etc.). This paper proposes a novel sensor access mechanism (SAM) to address sensor access in various operation modes, including manufacturing test mode, functional mode, built-in self-test (BIST) mode, silicon validation mode, and calibration mode. Within this mechanism, we develop a structured and scalable sensor access architecture and a pipeline sensor access flow. The SAM architecture addresses sensor insertion and access in different scenarios, while the pipeline flow is developed by utilizing the features of sensor measurement and hardware architecture to improve the efficiency of sensor access. Moreover, SAM standardizes the testing and measurement of embedded sensors by providing easy and effective access to sensors distributed across the SoC. Further, SAM is JTAG-compatible and practice-oriented for easy industry adoption. Various simulation results, collected by integrating SAM into several benchmarks, demonstrate that sensor controllability and observability can be achieved with high efficiency and low overhead using the proposed architecture.
GPU-PCC: A GPU Based Technique to Compute Pairwise Pearson's Correlation Coefficients for Big fMRI Data

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is a non-invasive brain imaging technique for studying the brain's functional activities. Pearson's Correlation Coefficient is an important measure for capturing dynamic behaviors and functional connectivity between brain components. One bottleneck in computing Correlation Coefficients is the time it takes to process big fMRI data. In this paper, we propose GPU-PCC, a GPU based algorithm based on vector dot product, which is able to compute pairwise Pearson's Correlation Coefficients while performing computation once for each pair. Our method is able to compute Correlation Coefficients in an ordered fashion without the need to do post-processing reordering of coefficients. We evaluated GPU-PCC using synthetic and real fMRI data and compared it with sequential version of computing Correlation Coefficient on CPU and existing state-of-the-art GPU method. We show that our GPU-PCC runs 94.62x faster as compared to the CPU version and 4.28x faster than the existing GPU based technique on a real fMRI dataset of size 90k voxels. The implemented code is available as GPL license on GitHub portal of our lab at https://github.com/pcdslab/GPU-PCC.
Neoadjuvant Targeted Therapy and Consolidative Surgery

Approximately 30–40% of patients with renal cell carcinoma present with locally advanced or metastatic disease. With improved response rates and tolerability of targeted agents, the concept of primary targeted therapy followed by consolidative surgery has emerged as a potential paradigm for management of select patients with locally advanced RCC. This strategy may help facilitate less morbid resection of high risk surgical disease and improve outcomes of nephron-sparing surgery for bulky or locally extensive tumors. Herein, we discuss patient selection criteria, assess the emerging data for this approach, and highlight perioperative patient safety concerns, arguments for and against utilization of primary systemic targeted therapy, and future directions for investigation.
Detecting transmissive bedrock fracture zones under cover of glacial formations using residential water-well production data

Tracing fractures under glacial drift commonly involves costly and often unfeasible (in populated areas) geophysical methods or outcrop surveys, often far from the area of interest. A hypothesis is tested, that the specific capacity data for wells penetrating through glacial drift into a bedrock aquifer display two statistical populations: assuming uniform well construction, the wells with high specific capacity penetrate transmissive fracture zones, while those with low specific capacity encounter non-fractured rock characterized by primary porosity. The hypothesis was tested on 617 wells drilled into the Pennsylvanian Sharon Sandstone, Geauga County, Ohio (USA). Hydraulic conductivity, calculated using the Cooper and Jacob (1946) approximation to Theis’ non-equilibrium radial flow equation, followed quasi-log-normal distribution (geometric mean 9.88 × 10−6 m/s). The lower values presumably correspond to primary porosity, and higher values correspond to bedrock fracture zones. The higher hydraulic conductivity followed two distinct orientations (N34°E, N44°W), corresponding with the regional fracture pattern of the Allegheny Plateau. A variogram showed that the wells within a kilometer of each other correlate and that wells penetrating the thicker glacial blanket have lower hydraulic conductivity and larger drawdown. Cooper and Jacob (1946) A generalized graphical method for evaluating formation constants and summarizing well-field history, Am. Geoph. Union Trans. 27/4:526–534.
Detection of gene deletions in children with chondrodysplasia punctata, ichthyosis, Kallmann syndrome, and ocular albinism by FISH studies.

Background Contiguous gene syndrome (CGS) is characterized by a series of clinical features resulting from interstitial or terminal deletions of various adjacent genes. Several important genes have been identified in the Xp22.3 region to be responsible for genetically heterogeneous diseases. In this study, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) methods were used to detect the extent of gene deletion related to the phenotypes of patients with Xp-CGS. Methods The molecular cytogenetic statuses of 23 boys with at least 1 apparent feature of chondrodysplasia punctata (CDP), ichthyosis, Kallmann syndrome, or type 1 ocular albinism and those of their family members were investigated. High-resolution banding and FISH studies were performed using the probes of steroid sulfatase (STS), KAL1 and OA1, to detect the deleted status on Xp22.3 in these patients along with their mothers and/or sisters or maternal grandmothers. Results All of these boys had normal karyotypes. FISH study showed nullisomy in 9 of the 23 male patients and hemizygosity in all female carriers in the genes on Xp22.3. The existence of 2 or more diseases in the same individual indicates a CGS. In addition, a putative mental retardation-related gene on Xp22.3 locus was considered to be located between X-linked CDP and STS. Conclusions The use of FISH probes for the Xp22.3 region allowed us to identify X-linked CGSs, especially in those patients with 2 or more distinct clinical entities or an obvious X-linked disorder.
Emerging causes of superficial and invasive infections following marine injuries and exposures

Soft tissue bacterial infections following aquatic animal bites, stings, and minor injuries occur commonly and usually on the extremities in fishermen and beachgoers worldwide after freshwater and saltwater exposures. Louisiana has more tidal, saltwater, and brackish water shorelines (more than 7,000 miles) than any other state, including Alaska and Hawaii. As a result, Louisiana residents are often exposed to marine pathogens when fishing or working offshore or when enjoying Louisiana's miles of shorelines. Although many species of bacteria have been isolated from marine wounds, superficial soft tissue and invasive infections following marine injuries and exposures are most commonly caused by a small number of bacterial species, including Aeromonas hydrophila, Edwardsiella tarda, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, Mycobacterium marinum, and Vibrio vulnificus. In addition to these species, several other aquatic bacteria have recently been identified as emerging causes of superficial and invasive infections following marine injuries and exposures, including marine mammal (dolphins and seals) Brucella species, Chromobacterium violaceum, Comamonas species, Shewanella algae, and Streptococcus iniae. The objectives of this review are to describe the epidemiology, presenting clinical manifestations, diagnostic and treatment strategies, and outcomes of both the superficial and the deeper invasive infections caused by the newly emerging marine bacterial pathogens.
Contributions to local- and regional-scale formaldehyde concentrations

Abstract. Reducing ambient formaldehyde concentrations is a complex task because formaldehyde is both a primary and a secondary air pollutant, with significant anthropogenic and biogenic sources of volatile organic compound (VOC) precursor emissions. This work uses adjoint sensitivity analysis in a chemical transport model to identify emission sources and chemical reactions that influence formaldehyde mixing ratios in the San Francisco Bay Area and within three urbanized sub-areas. For each of these receptors, the use of the adjoint technique allows for efficient calculation of the sensitivity of formaldehyde to emissions of NOx , formaldehyde, and VOC precursors occurring at any location and time. Formaldehyde mixing ratios are found to be generally higher in summer than in winter. The opposite seasonal trend is observed for the sensitivities of these mixing ratios to formaldehyde emissions. In other words, even though formaldehyde is higher in summer, reducing formaldehyde emissions has a greater impact in winter. In winter, 85 %–90 % of the sensitivity to emissions is attributed to direct formaldehyde emissions. In summer, this contribution is smaller and more variable, ranging from 27 % to 75 % among the receptor areas investigated in this study. Higher relative contributions of secondary formation versus direct emissions are associated with receptors located farther away from heavily urbanized and emission-rich areas. In particular, the relative contribution of biogenic VOC emissions (15 %–43 % in summer) is largest for these receptors. Ethene and other alkenes are the most influential anthropogenic precursors to secondary formaldehyde. Isoprene is the most influential biogenic precursor. Sensitivities of formaldehyde to NOx emissions are generally negative but relatively small in magnitude compared to sensitivities to VOC emissions. The magnitude of anthropogenic emissions of organic compounds other than formaldehyde is found to correlate reasonably well with their influence on population-weighted formaldehyde mixing ratios at the air-basin scale. This correlation does not hold for ambient formaldehyde in smaller urbanized sub-areas. The magnitude of biogenic emissions does not correlate with their influence in either case.
Epidemiology of Chagas Disease in the USA: High-Risk Patient Populations for Screening

The goals of this paper are to review the current data on the prevalence of Chagas disease in the USA and to describe the obstacles to expanding screening efforts. Latin American immigrants appear to be at a significantly higher risk of contracting Chagas disease than are individuals born in the USA, though the risk of autochthonous transmission is likely underestimated. Rates of Chagas disease in the community are variable, and likely depend on the specific makeup of the immigrant community, specifically the country of origin. In patients with cardiac disease, Chagas disease becomes a more likely diagnosis as the degree of cardiac impairment progresses, and up to 19% of immigrants with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy may have this disease. Barriers to screening include lack of awareness, cost of testing, and insufficient access to accurate tests. Chagas disease is more prevalent than generally thought by the US medical community and is a significant cause of cardiac illness in Latin American immigrants. Efforts to expand access to screening should focus on raising awareness of these data, improving serologic tests for diagnosis, and expanding access to tests.
Effect of the Ultrasonic Bone Scalpel on Blood Loss During Pediatric Spinal Deformity Correction Surgery

Abstract Study Design Retrospective cohort. Objective Determine the effect of the ultrasonic bone scalpel (UBS) on intraoperative blood loss and surgical time. Summary of Background Data The UBS has shown beneficial effects in limiting blood loss in spinal surgery, but no study has examined its effect in patients with neuromuscular scoliosis. Methods Clinical records were reviewed for patients aged 9–18 who underwent posterior spinal fusion surgery of five or more levels for scoliosis correction by the senior author from April 2013 until October 2016. Exclusion criteria included: vertebral column resections, previous spinal surgery, cell saver usage, cases complicated by signal loss on monitoring, and incomplete medical records. A total of 84 patients met the criteria and were included in data analysis. The UBS was routinely used for performing osteotomies and facetectomies for all cases operated after March 2015. These cases were compared to a control group who underwent surgery prior to this date in which the UBS was not used. The experimental and control groups were further divided into adolescent idiopathic (AIS) and neuromuscular (NMS) subgroups. Results EBL in AIS patients decreased from 1,211 mL in the control group to 771 mL in the UBS group for an average total reduction of 440 mL (95% CI 106, 774, p = .01). In NMS patients, EBL fell from 2,171 mL in controls to 1228 mL in the study group for an average total reduction of 943 mL (95% CI 288, 1598, p Conclusions The ultrasonic bone scalpel is effective in reducing blood loss in AIS and NMS deformity correction surgery. Surgical time is not adversely affected by its use. Level of Evidence Level II, cohort study.
Construction of Autonomous Driving Maps employing LiDAR Odometry

Autonomous driving typically relies on a priori maps for localization and path planning. In order to construct such maps, data from perception sensors such as light detection and ranging (LiDAR), global positioning system (GPS), inertial measurement unit (IMU), etc. are employed in simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithms. Since LiDAR can currently provide the highest accuracy representation of the environment, generating mapping data from LiDAR odometry has observed significant interest in the literature. Furthermore, LiDAR based odometry can provide high quality mapping information in feature-rich GPS-denied areas like urban centers where ground level roads are occluded by tall buildings. This paper describes an experimental setup composed of hardware and software stacks required for realizing LiDAR based odometry generation in roadway environments. Subsequently, an open-source implementation that was reported to perform well on the widely accepted KITTI benchmarking dataset was experimentally evaluated. This experimentation was focused on the validation of LiDAR based mapping and odometry generation in a typical suburban environment. The corresponding experimental observations are presented and a number of propositions are made for further improvement.
Current Indications and Long-Term Outcomes of Surgical Portosystemic Shunts in Adults

Surgical portosystemic shunts are rare. We reviewed indications, operative details, and outcomes of patients undergoing surgical portosystemic shunt procedures. We retrospectively reviewed clinical data of consecutive patients between 1997 and 2018 from a single institution. Clinical characteristics and outcomes were compared between two groups: patients with portomesenteric venous thrombosis (PMVT) vs those with cirrhosis. Endpoints included 30-day mortality, shunt-related complications, patency, and survival. There were 99 patients, 45 male and 54 female, with a mean age of 46 ± 18 years, enrolled in the study. There were 63 patients (63%) with PMVT and 36 patients (36%) with cirrhosis. Both groups had similar demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, and aneurysm extent, except for more diabetes among those with cirrhosis (p 0.05). Patients with PMVT had significantly lower 1-, 5-, and 10-year primary (77%, 71%, and 71% vs. 97%, p = 0.009) and secondary patency (88%, 76%, and 72% vs. 96%, p = 0.027) compared with those with cirrhosis. The 1-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 94%, 84%, and 61% for patients with PMVT compared with 88%, 58%, and 26% for those with cirrhosis (non-adjusted HR 0.40, 95% CI 0.19–0.84, p = 0.01, age-adjusted HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.24–1.09, p = 0.08). The survival of patients with PMVT without liver disease trended higher than those with liver disease; however, when adjusted for age, the survival gap narrowed, and the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.19), survival being lowest for those with PMVT and liver disease. Surgical portosystemic shunts are safe and effective for symptom relief in selected patients with portal hypertension. The odds of graft thrombosis is 9 times higher in patients with PMVT. Overall survival is similar in patients with PMVT or cirrhosis.
Piloting of the Just Say Know prevention program: a psychoeducational approach to translating the neuroscience of addiction to youth.

Substance use during adolescence can have a number of negative consequences and interfere with normal brain development. Given limited time and resources, brief group- and school-based prevention p...
Heterogeneous Presentations of Pharyngoesophageal Diverticula Occurring after Cervical Spine Surgery

Dysphagia after anterior cervical spine surgery (ACSS) may be secondary to pharyngoesophageal diverticulum. Our objectives are to (1) highlight the heterogeneity in clinical presentation, (2) discuss pathophysiology and management, and (3) present a comprehensive literature review of these diverticula. All patients undergoing pharyngoesophageal diverticulum repair between 2013 and 2019 were identified. Cases with ACSS history underwent detailed review of clinical presentation, assessment, and management. Literature review and analysis of all reported ACSS-associated pharyngoesophageal diverticula was performed. Two hundred forty-three cases of pharyngoesophageal diverticulum repair were performed during the study period; 13 cases were ACSS-associated. Four types of clinical presentation were identified: (Type A) Spinal hardware present, with videofluoroscopic evidence of exposed hardware; (Type B) Spinal hardware present, without videofluoroscopic evidence of exposed hardware; (Type C) Spinal hardware absent due to prior spinal hardware removal or ACSS performed without hardware; and (Type D) Concurrent esophago-esophageal fistula (EEF) present. All of our cases were evaluated using modified barium swallow study and esophagoscopy and definitively managed with endoscopic diverticulotomy. Literature review identified 21 cases of ACSS-associated pharyngoesophageal diverticulum repair from 18 publications. The majority of cases were identified using barium esophagram (N = 18, 86%) and managed with open diverticulectomy (N = 19, 90%). There were no reports of EEF. ACSS-associated pharyngoesophageal diverticulum must be evaluated with fluoroscopy and endoscopy, which determine presentation type. Presentation type guides management. Esophageal perforation requires hardware removal and perforation repair with flap placement. Endoscopic diverticulotomy was found essential to definitive management. Level of Evidence: 4
“Coming out” against cancer: How local outreach to the LGBT community can reduce cancer disparities.

131Background: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) individuals make up an estimated 4% of the population, qualifying them as a sexual minority. LGBT individuals are also more likely to b...