cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is Enhancement the Price of Prevention in Human Gene Editing

New gene-editing tools challenge conventional policy proscriptions of research aimed at either human germline gene editing or human enhancement by potentially lowering technical barriers to both kinds of intervention. Some recent gene-editing reports have begun to take up the prospect of germline editing, but most experts are in broad agreement that research should prioritize medical applications over attempts to enhance human traits. However, there is little consensus about what counts as human enhancement in this context, or how to deal with the issues it flags. Moreover, several influential reports interpret medical applications to include disease prevention as well as treatment as a goal for gene-editing research. This challenges the current policy consensus because using gene editing to prevent disease would incidentally facilitate human enhancement applications in a variety of ways. If such research efforts are penalized by policy concerns about enhancement, then their preventive health benefits could be lost. To avoid being caught off guard by such challenges, science policy makers will need to think more carefully about what "prevention" might mean in the gene-editing context, and develop research governance that can anticipate and address the human enhancement concerns it will raise. To accomplish the latter, the scope of policy making will need to expand from its narrow focus on human clinical trials to engage with basic researchers driving the translational pipeline toward preventive gene editing and the science policy makers who have to address its "off-label" uses.
Acute Care Pharmacy Practice: A Perspective for Pharmacy Students, Residents, and Other Health-Care Providers:

Purpose:To describe the acute care setting with a specific focus on acute care pharmacy practices.SummaryAcute care is the sector of health care where time-sensitive episodes of illness are managed...
Price clustering and sentiment in bitcoin

Abstract While prior research provides evidence of price clustering in bitcoin, this study seeks to explain the unusual level of bitcoin price clustering using various measures of bitcoin-level and market-wide sentiment. Our results suggest that sentiment has a strong positive association with price clustering. In economic terms, a one standard deviation increase in sentiment – measured by Google Trends – explains about 2.5% to 5% of the unusual level of price clustering in Bitcoin. We also find that our results are robust when we use other measures of investor sentiment.
Abstract 443: Cushioned-Density Gradient Ultracentrifugation (C-DGUC) Improves the Isolation Efficiency of Exosomes for their use in Atherosclerosis Research

Background and Purpose: Ultracentrifugation (UC) is recognized as a robust approach for the isolation of exosomes especially when combined with a second step that involves density gradient ultracen...
Mapping the spatial variation of mitral valve elastic properties using air-pulse optical coherence elastography

Abstract The mitral valve is a highly heterogeneous tissue composed of two leaflets, anterior and posterior, whose unique composition and regional differences in material properties are essential to overall valve function. While mitral valve mechanics have been studied for many decades, traditional testing methods limit the spatial resolution of measurements and can be destructive. Optical coherence elastography (OCE) is an emerging method for measuring viscoelastic properties of tissues in a noninvasive, nondestructive manner. In this study, we employed air-pulse OCE to measure the spatial variation in mitral valve elastic properties with micro-scale resolution at 1 mm increments along the radial length of the leaflets. We analyzed differences between the leaflets, as well as between regions of the valve. We found that the anterior leaflet has a higher elastic wave velocity, which is reported as a surrogate for stiffness, than the posterior leaflet, most notably at the annular edge of the sample. In addition, we found a spatial elastic gradient in the anterior leaflet, where the annular edge was found to have a greater elastic wave velocity than the free edge. This gradient was less pronounced in the posterior leaflet. These patterns were confirmed using established uniaxial tensile testing methods. Overall, the anterior leaflet was stiffer and had greater heterogeneity in its mechanical properties than the posterior leaflet. This study measures differences between the two mitral leaflets with greater resolution than previously feasible and demonstrates a method that may be suitable for assessing valve mechanics following repair or during the engineering of synthetic valve replacements.
DILIsym: Quantitative Systems Toxicology Impacting Drug Development

Abstract DILIsym®, a quantitative systems toxicology model developed over the last decade by the drug-induced liver injury (DILI)-sim Initiative, has provided novel insights regarding mechanisms underlying drug-induced liver injury and why animal models sometimes fail to accurately assess the liver safety liability of new drug candidates. For example, DILIsym, but not routine preclinical testing, predicted the human hepatotoxicity of the migraine drugs telcagepant and MK3207 that terminated their clinical development. DILIsym also predicted that the next in-class drug, ubrogepant, would be relatively safe for the liver; this prediction was prospectively confirmed in phase-3 clinical trials leading to FDA approval without liver safety warnings. DILIsym also identifies mechanisms underlying liver toxicity, and this information can identify patient-specific risk factors for drug-induced liver injury including drug–drug interactions and certain disease states, improving risk management and pharmacovigilance. DILIsym provides an example of how increased application of quantitative systems toxicology modeling should lead to more efficient development of new drugs.
Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections of the Upper Extremity

Necrotizing soft tissue infections of the upper extremity have varying microbiologies and etiologies. Risk factors for development include diabetes mellitus, intravenous drug use, peripheral arterial disease, smoking, alcohol abuse, and immunocompromised state. Although clinical examination is the mainstay of diagnosis, laboratory tests and imaging can aid in diagnosis. Surgical debridements usually are needed for treatment, with resultant defects that often require reconstruction. Rates of amputation are reported as 22% to 37.5% and mortality from necrotizing soft tissue infections of the upper extremity from 22% to 34%. Prompt surgical and antimicrobial treatment is necessary to decrease risk of loss of limb or life.
Drivers of Hospital Readmission and Early Liver Transplant after Kasai Portoenterostomy.

Abstract Background Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE) remains the first-line operation for patients with biliary atresia (BA), but ultimately fails in up to 60% of cases. This study sought to identify factors contributing to hospital readmission and early liver transplant. Methods The Nationwide Readmissions Database from 2010 to 2014 was used to identify patients with BA who underwent KPE on index admission. Patient factors, hospital characteristics, and complications of BA were compared by readmission rates and rate of liver transplant within 1 y. The results were weighted for national estimates. Results Nine hundred and sixty three patients were identified. The readmission rate within 30-d was 36% (n = 346) and within 1-y was 67% (n = 647). Only 9% (n = 90) received a liver transplant within a year. The most common complications after KPE were cholangitis in 58%, decompensated cirrhosis in 54%, and recurrent jaundice in 34%. Male patients (OR 1.5, P = 0.02) with comorbid gastrointestinal anomalies (OR 2.1, P Conclusions This is the first nationwide study to evaluate readmissions in patients with BA undergoing KPE. Although KPE is a lifesaving procedure, hospital readmission rates are high and complications are common. Cholangitis, early progression of cirrhosis, and infections are highly associated with readmission and failure of KPE.
Preoperative opioid use is a risk factor for complication following revision total hip arthroplasty.

Background:The demand for revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) procedures continues to increase. A growing body of evidence in primary THA suggests that preoperative opioid use confers increased r...
Ultrafast Coherent Vibrational Spectroscopy using Infrared Four Wave Mixing

We experimentally demonstrate a femtosecond coherent vibrational spectroscopy based on infrared four wave mixing. The technique can be applied to obtain a chemical image of biological tissue combined with microscopy.
An Investigation of the Market’s Perception and Pricing of Auditor Competence: Evidence from PwC’s Oscars Blunder

On Sunday, February 26, 2017, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) erred on live television when Brian Cullinan, PwC’s U.S. Board Chairman and Managing Partner of PwC’s Southwest region, handed the announcers the wrong envelope for Best Picture at the 2017 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards Ceremony (hereafter, the Oscars). Cullinan’s gaffe represented an egregious lack of competence in a non-audit service (NAS) context. Building on prior brand extension research, we hypothesize that market participants transfer their assessment of Cullinan’s Oscars ceremony incompetence to the financial statement audit competence of PwC’s publicly traded audit clients. Consistent with this, we find that abnormal returns in the days that followed the error are significantly lower for PwC clients in the region Cullinan managed. We interpret these results as evidence that NAS incompetence transfers to perception of the auditor’s auditing competence and that U.S. stock prices reflect this revised perception. Further, our evidence suggests that investors find the disclosure of the audit partner to be informative.
Brief Report: The Influence of Autism Severity and Depression on Self-Determination Among Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Self-determination (SD) is linked to autonomy and better adult outcomes. Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often less independent than cognitively matched peers. Given the frequency with which depression co-occurs in ASD and the established association between depression and SD, we sought to evaluate the influence of both ASD severity and depression on SD among cognitively able emerging adults with ASD. Emerging adults (n = 59) with ASD completed measures of SD, ASD severity, and depression. Both ASD severity and depression were moderately correlated with SD (r = − 0.473; − 0.423, respectively) and with each other (r = 0.625). After controlling for ASD severity, depression did not significantly predict SD. Strengthening SD should be considered in programming to promote independence.
Intern Perceptions and Participation in the Operating Room

Objective ACGME work hour restrictions and decreasing resident case volumes have led to concern regarding competence of surgical residency graduates. Early operative experience is an important component of surgical education, providing a foundation for further learning. Intern year represents an opportunity for increased exposure. We sought to examine factors impacting intern perceptions and participation in the operating room. Methods This cross-sectional retrospective study evaluated the experience of interns from June 2019 through June 2020. Data was collected from nursing operative case logs, self-reported ACGME intern case logs, and an intern survey from the 2019 to 2020 academic year for 3 surgical services at a large academic institution. The primary endpoint was intern presence in operative cases and perceived experience. Setting University of California, Davis Medical Center, a large academic training institution and tertiary referral center located in Sacramento, California. Participants A total of 31 interns comprised the 2019 to 2020 training cohort, including preliminary, categorical general surgery, and integrated subspecialty residents classified as intern by the institution, regardless of postgraduate training year. Results Interns were present in 945 (46%) of 2054 operative cases. Multivariable analysis indicated the presence of an APP (OR 1.68, 95% C.I. 1.34-2.10, p = 0.00) and a female attending (OR 1.30, 95% C.I. 1.07-1.58, p = 0.01) increased the likelihood of intern participation, while presence of an upper level resident decreased the likelihood (OR 0.35, 95% C.I. 0.22-0.57, p = 0.00). Interns participated in more cases later in the year compared to earlier (43% vs 59%, Z = 4.72, p = Conclusions Intern operative experience can be robust in the setting of ACGME work hour guidelines. Identified factors represent possible areas for improvement in service organization.
The impact of social networks on sleep among a cohort of college students.

Abstract Background Sleep duration and quality are associated with physical and mental wellbeing. This paper examines social network effects on individual level change in the sleep quantity and quality from late adolescence to emerging adulthood and its associated factors, including the influence of peers on sleep behavior and the impact of changes in network size. Methods We use sleep data from 619 undergraduates at the University of Notre Dame obtained via Fitbit devices as part of the NetHealth project. The data were collected between August 16, 2015 and May 13, 2017. We model trends in sleep behaviors using latent growth-curve models. Results Controlling for the many factors known to impact sleep quantity and quality, we find two social network effects: increasing network size is associated with less sleep and a student's sleep levels are influenced by his or her peers. While we do not find any consistent decline in sleep quantity over the 637 days, daily fluctuations in sleep quantity are associated with changes in network size and the composition of a student's network. As a student's network gets bigger, s/he sleeps less, and when a student's contacts sleep more (or less) than s/he does, the student becomes more like his or her contacts and sleeps more (or less). Conclusions Social networks can and do impact sleep, especially sleep quantity. In contexts where students want to have larger networks, the difficulties of increasing network size and maintaining larger networks negatively impact sleep. Because of peer influence, the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve sleep practices could be increased by leveraging student social networks to help diffuse better sleep habits.
Singularities in Elliptic Boundary Value Problems and Elasticity and Their Connection with Failure Initiation

Preface.- Introduction.-An Introduction to the p- and hp-versions of the Finite Element Method.-Eigen-pairs Computation for Two-Dimensional Heat Conduction Singularities.-Computation of GFIFs for Two-Dimensional Heat Conduction Problems.-Eigen-pairs for two-dimensional elasticity.-Computing Generalized Stress Intensity Factors.-Thermal Generalized Stress Intensity Factors in 2-D Domains.-Failure Criteria for Brittle Elastic Materials.-Thermo-Mechanical Failure Criterion at the Micron Scale in Electronic Devices.-Singular solutions of the heat conduction equation in polyhedra domains.-Computation of the Edge Flux Intensity Functions associated with polyhedra domains.-Vertex singularities associated with conical points for the 3-D Laplace equation.-Edge eigen-pairs and ESIFs of 3-D elastic problems.-Summary and Open Questions.
Laboratory-Field Generalization of Cardiovascular Activity

In Chapter 5 we noted the three attributes of individual differences in reactivity that have particular significance when considering current hypotheses that link cardiovascular reactivity to aspects of cardiovascular disease (Manuck et al., 1989). These were temporal stability, intertask consistency, and laboratory-field generalization. The first two of these attributes were dealt with in detail in that chapter. Accordingly, we will now examine laboratory-field generalization.
Supporting Southeast Asian American Family and Community Engagement for Educational Success

Over the past 40 years, the U.S. has accepted over 2.5 million refugee and immigrants from Southeast Asian (SEA) countries of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Unfortunately after 4 decades of resettlement and assimilation, the SEA community has the lowest levels of educational attainment when compared to other Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Only 34.3% of Laotian, 38.5% of Cambodian, and 39.6% of Hmong adults over the age of 25 do not have a high school diploma or equivalent. Moreover, 65.8% of Cambodian, 66.5% of Laotian, 63.2% of Hmong, and 51.1% of Vietnamese Americans have not attended college (SEARAC, 2011).
An initial study on establishing principles for drinking water sanitary evaluation and for alert during accidental water contamination.

This paper focused on establishing"Principle of Drinking Water Sanitation and Criteria of Classified Alert on Accidental Water Contamination",to make effective classification on sensory attributes and general chemicals of tap water when emergency.Different early-warning stages-yellow,orange and red-in ascending order of seriousness corresponding to the above classification should be announced in order to provide reasonable advice for local government's decision in emergency.
Battle management for unmanned aerial vehicles

In this paper, we discuss the overall process of battle management as a system problem addressed in the project SHARED (Strategies for Human-Automaton Resource Entity Deployment). First, the hierarchical structure set up in the SHARED and the problems in battle management are outlined. Many issues are involved in battle management: definition of tasks, sequencing of tasks, timing of tasks and resource allocation to the tasks. Depletion of resources in each stage of the battle is probabilistic, so a rolling horizon over multiple stages is considered with average parameters. In each stage, a simple resource allocation approach is used, with which non-homogenous resources can be divided into several tasks in this stage. The effects of adversary variables are discussed, and new ad hoc formulations are introduced for different types of tasks to calculate the duration for each stage.
A micromachined polyurethane/stainless-steel capacitive pressure sensor without cavity and diaphragm

This paper reports micromachined capacitive pressure sensor intended for applications that require mechanical robustness. The device is constructed with two micromachined metal electrode plates and an intermediate polymer layer that is soft enough to deform in a target pressure range. The plates are formed of micromachined stainless steel with overall dimensions of 4/spl times/2.4 mm/sup 2/ fabricated by batch-compatible micro-electro-discharge machining. A polyurethane RTV liquid rubber is used as the deformable material. This structure eliminates both the vacuum cavity and the associated lead transfer challenges common to micromachined capacitive pressure sensors. For wireless interrogation of the capacitance, an L-C tank is fabricated by combining the capacitive sensor and a 40-turn coil that are formed by winding a copper wire on the sensor. A preliminary measurement test performed by monitoring frequency shift of a reactance peak of the tank with varying pressure shows its response of 2.6-9.6 Hz/Pa measured over a dynamic range of 350 kPa. Temperature dependence of the tank is also experimentally evaluated.
Toward a Multidimensional Understanding of Heterosexism: The Changing Nature of Prejudice

Extending the theoretical understanding of modern prejudice into the realm of heterosexism, it is argued that shifts in the manifestation of prejudice against lesbians and gay men have occurred resulting in an increasingly multidimensional modern heterosexism. Four subdomains of modern heterosexism are identified that are conceptually and empirical distinct from the more traditional hostile heterosexism: aversive heterosexism, amnestic heterosexism, paternalistic heterosexism, and positive stereotypic heterosexism. The Multidimensional Heterosexism Inventory is offered as an instrument to capture the four theorized subdomains of modern heterosexism, and an examination of reliability and validity of the scale is presented.
Clinical experience of small bowel/multivisceral transplantation at the University of Miami

Some patients with intestinal failure have life-threatening total parenteral nutrition (TPN) complications. Intestinal transplantation is the lifesaving alternative for these patients. We reviewed 95 consecutive intestinal transplants performed between December 1994 and November 2000 at the University of Miami. Fifty-four cases were pediatric and 41 cases were adult. Forty-nine patients were men and 46 women. The causes of intestinal failure were mesenteric thrombosis (n = 12), necrotizing enterocolitis (n = 11), gastroschisis (n = 11), voluvulus (n = 9), desmoid tumor (n = 8), intestinal atresia (n = 6), trauma (n = 5), Hirschsprung’s disease (n = 5), Crohn’s disease (n = 5), pseudoobstruction (n = 4), and other (n = 19). All patients had TPN-related complications, and 67 patients had liver failure. Isolated intestinal transplantation was performed in 27 cases. Liver and intestinal transplantation was performed in 28 cases. Multivisceral transplantation was performed in 40 cases. Mean cold ischemic time was 480 ± 12.3 min. The 1-year patient and graft survival rates of isolated intestinal transplantation since 1998 were 84% and 72%, respectively. Since 1998, we have been using a zoom videoendoscope and induction with daclizumab. The 1-year patient and graft survivals of isolated intestinal transplants before 1998 were 75% and 68%, respectively. The 1-year patient and graft survival rates of liver and intestinal transplantation were 40% and 37%, respectively. The 1-year patient and graft survival rates of multivisceral transplantation were 48% and 40%, respectively. The causes of death were sepsis after rejection (n = 14). respiratory failure (n = 8), sepsis (n = 6), multiple organ failure (n = 4), arterial graft infection (n = 3), aspergillosis (n = 2), post transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (n = 2), intracranial bleeding (n = 2), fungemia (n = 1), chronic rejection (n = 1), graft-versus-host disease (n = 1), necrotizing enterocolitis (n = 1), pancreatitis (n = 1), pulmonary embolism (n = 1), and viral encephalitis (n = 1). Intestinal transplantation provided a lifesaving alternative for patients with intestinal failure. Patient and graft survival rates following isolated intestinal transplantation were better than those after liver-intestinal transplantation and multivisceral transplantation. The prognosis is better when the transplant is performed prior to the onset of liver failure.
Array design for ultrasound imaging with simultaneous beams

Line acquisition speed is fundamental to enhancing the field of view and temporal resolution of real time ultrasonic volumetric (RT3D) imaging systems. A two-dimensional transducer array design is presented which, based on simulations, will permit multiple beams to be transmitted simultaneously in the field while maintaining good signal separation. In addition, each transmit beam exploits explososcanning, the capture of multiple receive lines for each individual transmit. Together these features enable a massively parallel scanning system that can generate a wide field of view while maintaining high temporal and spatial resolution.
EVOLUTION, NATURALISM, AND THE WORTHWHILE: A CRITIQUE OF RICHARD JOYCE'S EVOLUTIONARY DEBUNKING OF MORALITY

Abstract: In The Evolution of Morality, Richard Joyce argues there is good reason to think that the “moral sense” is a biological adaptation, and that this provides a genealogy of the moral sense that has a debunking effect, driving us to the conclusion that “our moral beliefs are products of a process that is entirely independent of their truth, … we have no grounds one way or the other for maintaining these beliefs.” I argue that Joyce's skeptical conclusion is not warranted. Even if the moral sense is a biological adaptation, developed moralities (such as Aristotelian eudaimonism) can “co-opt” it into new roles so that the moral judgments it makes possible can come to transcend the evolutionary process that is “entirely independent of their truth.” While evolutionary theory can shed much light on our shared human nature, moral theories must still be vindicated, or debunked, by moral arguments.
Early Pregnancy and Academic Achievement of African-American Youth

Competing demands of school and home can thrust adolescent mothers into stressful situations. Meeting the requirements to achieve academically can be a challenge, especially for students previously identified as “slow learners.” These students may conclude that academic achievement is an impossibility. How can special educators and service providers help? What environmental variables affect these young mothers' learning capabilities ? This study used a case study research approach to study 10 African-American adolescent mothers who were already at risk of dropping out of school programs. Successful strategies to keep these students in school include school-based clinics, teacher training, sex education, and school-community support.
Aedes aegypti transducing densovirus pathogenesis and expression in Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae larvae

Aedes aegypti densovirus (AeDNV) is a small DNA virus that has been developed into an expression and transducing vector for mosquitoes [Afanasiev etÂ al. (1994) Exp Parasitol 79: 322â339; Afanasiev etÂ al. (1999) Virology 257: 62â72; Carlson etÂ al. (2000) Insect Transgenesis: Methods and Applications (Handler, A.M. & James, A.A., eds), pp. 139â159. CRC Press, Boca Raton]. Virions carrying a recombinant genome expressing the GFP gene were used to characterize the pathogenesis of the virus in 255 individual Aedes aegypti larvae. The anal papillae of the larvae were the primary site of infection confirming previous observations (Afanasiev etÂ al., 1999; AllenâMuira etÂ al. (1999) Virology 257: 54â61). GFP expression was observed in most cases to spread from the anal papillae to cells of the fat body, and subsequently to many other tissues including muscle fibers and nerves. Infected anal papillae were also observed to shrink, or melanize and subsequently fall off in a virus dependent manner. Three to four dayâold larvae were less susceptible to viral infection and, if infected, were more likely to survive into adulthood, with 14% of them still expressing GFP as adults. Higher salt concentrations of 0.10â0.15Â m inhibited viral infection. Anopheles gambiae larvae also showed infection of the anal papillae (17%) but subsequent viral dissemination did not occur. The persistence of the reporter gene expression into adulthood of Aedes aegypti indicates that transduction of mosquito larvae with recombinant AeDNV may be a means of introducing a gene of interest into a mosquito population for transient expression.
A spatial cross-correlation model of spectral accelerations at multiple periods

SUMMARY Many seismic loss problems (such as disruption of distributed infrastructure and losses to portfolios of structures) are dependent upon the regional distribution of ground-motion intensity, rather than intensity at only a single site. Quantifying ground-motion over a spatially-distributed region therefore requires information on the correlation between the ground-motion intensities at different sites during a single event. The focus of the present study is to assess the spatial correlation between ground-motion spectral accelerations at different periods. Ground motions from eight well-recorded earthquakes were used to study the spatial correlations. On the basis of obtained empirical correlation estimates, we propose a geostatistics-based method to formulate a predictive model that is suitable for simulation of spectral accelerations at multiple sites and multiple periods, in the case of crustal earthquakes in active seismic regions. While the calibration of this model and investigation of its implications were somewhat complex, the model itself is very simple to use for making correlation predictions. A user only needs to evaluate a simple equation relying on three sets of coefficients provided here to compute a correlation coefficient for spectral values at two periods and at a specified separation distance. These results may then be used in evaluating the seismic risk of portfolios of structures with differing fundamental periods. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
MATHEMATICAL MODEL TO PREDICT YIELD LOSS OF MEDIUM AND LARGE TIGER SHRIMP (PENAEUS MONODON) DURING COOKING

Cooking causes moisture loss and reduces the yield of shrimp. This can be affected by its size, cooking temperature and time. A finite difference mathematical model to predict temperature distribution during heating/cooling of shrimp was modified to enable prediction of yield loss. The relationship between cooking temperature, time and yield loss was determined by isothermal experiments. For medium and large Tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon), data were fitted into the following form: % Yield Loss = a + b * T + c * T 2 + d * t 2 + e * t + f * T * t where T is temperature and t is time. These equations were used in the model. Each volume element in the model was allowed to have its own yield loss; and overall yield loss was found by calculating mass average values. Experiments were conducted to cook Tiger shrimp under regular conditions and determine its yield loss, and the predictions of the model were compared with experimental data. Close agreement was obtained. This model can be used to predict yield losses during cooking of shrimp.
Serous psammocarcinoma of the ovary: an unusual finding.

Abstract Background. Serous psammocarcinoma of the ovary is a rare and infrequently described variant of ovarian cancer, characterized histologically by the pervasive presence of psammoma bodies. The risk of recurrent disease following surgical resection is low. Case history. A 70-year-old patient was admitted to the emergency room after falling at home. CT evaluation revealed a pelvic mass and free fluid in the abdomen and pelvis. Her serum CA-125 level was greatly elevated. The patient underwent an abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Histologic examination revealed serous psammocarcinoma of the ovary. Conclusion. Psammocarcinoma is a rare form of ovarian cancer associated with a favorable prognosis. However, the rare incidence of this disease and inconsistent biological behavior can confound the diagnosis for the treating physician.
Autoantibodies as reporters identifying aberrant cellular mechanisms in tumorigenesis.

A common, if not intrinsic, feature of autoimmunity is a humoral immune response manifested by the production of autoantibodies targeted against self-cellular proteins and nucleic acids (1). Although first studied comprehensively in rheumatic autoimmune disease, autoantibodies and autoimmunity have now become major areas of research in many other illnesses, including type 1 diabetes and other diseases discussed in this Perspective series (2–4); the paraneoplastic neurological disorder (PND) syndromes (5, 6); bullous skin diseases; liver disease; and many others (for review see ref. 7). Among the many known autoantigens are several ubiquitous cellular proteins involved in fundamental cellular functions such as DNA replication and transcription. The process by which these and other self-molecules become immunogenic is not yet understood (8). The study of tumor-associated autoimmunity may offer insights not only into the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases in general, but perhaps also into the events that drive certain classes of cancer. Thus, changes in the structure or expression of certain self proteins, occurring during tumorigenesis, suggest mechanisms by which the immune system could be primed to perceive tumor-associated epitopes as foreign. One major route to cancer autoimmunity involves genetic mutations resulting in the production of defective p53 tumor suppressor protein. Another pathway, active in individuals with liver cancer, involves the aberrant expression of specific mRNA-binding proteins that may induce cell proliferation by preventing the turnover of mRNAs for growth factors. Other classes of mRNA-binding protein are normally restricted to the immunologically privileged domain of the brain but can become expressed ectopically and represent autoantigens in the PND syndromes. Together, these findings highlight the importance of altered post-transcriptional control at different stages of tumorigenesis.
Optical determination of thallium(I) and cesium(I) with a fluorogenic calix[4]arenebis(crown-6 ether) containing one pendent dansyl group.

A fluorogenic derivative of 1,3-alternate calix[4]arenebis(crown-6) (1) containing a dansyl group in the proton-ionizable side arm has been employed in selective sensing of Tl+ and Cs+ at low concentration levels in MeCN−H2O (1:1) mixed solvent. Optical recognition of these two metal cations by 1 occurs in contrasting modes. On the basis of the results of fluorescence, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), and 1H NMR studies, Tl+ and Cs+ react with 1 via formation of 1:1 complexes that differ in coordination arrangement around the metal ion.
National ED crowding and hospital quality: results from the 2013 Hospital Compare data.

Abstract Objectives We explored Hospital Compare data on emergency department (ED) crowding metrics to assess characteristics of reporting vs nonreporting hospitals, whether hospitals ranked as the US News Best Hospitals (2012-2013) vs unranked hospitals differed in ED performance and relationships between ED crowding and other reported hospital quality measures. Methods An ecological study was conducted using data from Hospital Compare data sets released March 2013 and from a popular press publication, US News Best Hospitals 2012 to 2013. We compared hospitals on 5 ED crowding measures: left-without-being-seen rates, waiting times, boarding times, and length of stay for admitted and discharged patients. Results Of 4810 hospitals included in the Hospital Compare sample, 2990 (62.2%) reported all ED 5 crowding measures. Median ED length of stay for admitted patients was 262 minutes (interquartile range [IQR], 215-326), median boarding was 88 minutes (IQR, 60-128), median ED length of stay for discharged patients was 139 minutes (IQR, 114-168), and median waiting time was 30 minutes (IQR, 20-44). Hospitals ranked as US News Best Hospitals 2012 to 2013 (n = 650) reported poorer performance on ED crowding measures than unranked hospitals (n = 4160) across all measures. Emergency department boarding times were associated with readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction ( r = 0.14, P r = 0.17, P r = 0.37, P Conclusions There is great variation in measures of ED crowding across the United States. Emergency department crowding was related to several measures of in-patient quality, which suggests that ED crowding should be a hospital-wide priority for quality improvement efforts.
Acute aortic dissection with side branch vessel occlusion: open surgical options.

Acute aortic dissection is one of the most common catastrophes affecting the aorta. Because dissection can involve any aortic segment, the disease can manifest itself through a variety of clinical presentations. The most spectacular manifestation is frank rupture, usually into the pericardial or pleural cavity. Dissections of the ascending aorta are associated with rapidly fatal complications such as cardiac tamponade, major stroke, or massive myocardial infarction, justifying emergent operation. Dissections of the descending aorta are managed medically with surgery reserved for those patients with aortic rupture, aneurysmal dilatation, or ischemic symptoms. Aortic branch occlusion occurs in up to one third of patients with aortic dissection and is associated with increased risk of early death and serious complications. The therapeutic armamentarium of the vascular surgeon has evolved during the last 20 years to include endovascular (balloon fenestration or branch stenting) and surgical options. This article will focus on the open surgical management of patients with acute aortic dissection complicated by side branch occlusion and organ or limb malperfusion.
A constitutive model for drying of a partially saturated porous material

A new constitutive model for drying of an elastic porous material is presented. The model is derived by decomposing the boundary value problem of drying into parts for which an explicit solution is readily available. The mathematical form differs from models developed using either the concept of equivalent pore pressure or average pore pressure. Instead of pressure averaging, the extent of weakening of the solid due to void inclusions, a material parameter, is found to be critical for the proper predictions of the volumetric strains. The model is applicable to drying under conditions where multi-layer adsorption of liquid persists, i.e. where the effects of solid surface energy are negligible, and where capillary pressure is the primary loading stimulus. A particular (and simple) form of the model is compared with experimental data for partially dried cement paste and Vycor™ glass, and is shown to provide a much better agreement than previous models based on average pore pressure. Implications to the poromechanics and the effective stress of partially saturated porous media are discussed.
Consumption as a Social Process

This article discusses consumption as a social process that is part of social provisioning and is in an evolutionary interplay with other social processes. The analysis provides grounds for a context-specific research that explores consumption in the context of a culture-nature life process, and draws on material from various disciplines. The article seeks to contribute to the literature on social provisioning as an organizing concept in heterodox economics. The first section explains what is meant by social process and delineates its elements. The second section formulates a categorization of social processes, and locates a consumption process within a system of culture-nature life processes. The rest of the article delineates the elements of the consumption process, providing illustrations based on literature from various disciplines. Specifically, the third section discusses consumption activities. The fourth section discusses institutions and systems of provision of goods and services. The fifth secti...
Content-Adaptive Video Summarization Combining Queueing and Clustering

This paper presents an efficient three-step algorithm to compute key frames for summarization and indexing of digital videos. In the preprocessing step, we remove the video frames that constitute the gradual transitions of video shots using an entropy-based energy-minimization method. The second step measures the content dissimilarity of video frames and removes the ones that are similar in content. In the postprocessing step, the video frames are processed using a dynamic clustering technique. The first and the second steps are implemented as queues, allowing efficient temporal filtering of video frames. Our algorithm greatly reduces the difficulty of parameter selection with content-adaptive parameters. Experimental results on four videos show that our method retrieves the least number of transitional and near-duplicate key frames, compared with three other existing methods.
HUB-CI Model for Collaborative Telerobotics in Manufacturing

This paper discusses a collaborative cybernetic system, where telerobots are controlled simultaneously by a group of distributed operators to accomplish a manufacturing task. To enhance the collaboration, this work introduces the HUB-CI (HUB system with Collaborative Intelligence) model which represents a cyber hub infrastructure with intelligent agents supporting the collaboration activities. Hand gesture commands from multiple operators are translated and aggregated by a collaboration protocol into a single control stream. The aggregation is updated according to operators' performance so that it is robust to critical errors and conflicting signals. The premise of early conflict/error prevention and co-tolerant scheme can help in reducing the risk of system's damage. Thus, a distributed conflict and error prevention network is designed in the current work. A case study of collaborative control of robotic manufacturing is investigated. Operators command telerobots to work in a remote area. The hypothesis is tested that collaborative control with HUB-CI model is more effective and less susceptible to conflicts/errors than single operator control. During collaboration, operators perform gesture commands in parallel to control the same set of robots with a command aggregation algorithm. Compared to a single operator manipulation, collaboration in HUB-CI can reduce the time to complete a multi-step task and limit the errors.
Continent — Island arc collision in the Banda Arc

Abstract Acoustical structure of seismic profiles, and morphology of the Timor—Tanimbar—Ceram troughs and adjacent slopes of the outer Banda Arc, show remarkable similarities to equivalent parameters of many arcs subducting oceanic lithosphere and sediments, despite the fact that the outer Banda Arc is underlain by continental crust continuous with that of the colliding Australian craton. Such similarities include diffractions and anticlinal folds at the toe of the inner slope of the Timor—Tanimbar—Ceram troughs, which could be interpreted as thrust slices and thrust folds. Slope basins comprising sediments obviously dammed behind acoustic basement highs are also common on the trough inner slope, with some basins containing strata adjacent to the highs dipping away from the trough. Ridges and basins occur on the trough inner slope oriented parallel to the trough trend, and a slab continuous with down-bowed continental margin can often be detected a considerable distance in from the trough below the inner slope. On face value these observations are compatible with a mechanism of underthrusting by Australian and New Guinea crust with consequent imbrication and accretion of packages of off-scraped sediments. However, they may also be explained as possible outward-directed gravity slides of nappes displaced from uplifted inner portions of the arc, similar to the published structural interpretation of at least the eastern portion of the neighbouring, closely related New Guinea Fold Belt. It is shown that the weight of marine geological and geophysical evidence, including the alignment with the oceanic Indonesian Arc, the gravity anomalies, and the persistence of the various morphological and structural entities around the arc, favours subduction in the Timor—Tanimbar—Ceram troughs rather than massive gravity sliding towards the troughs. By this working model the outer Banda Arc would be the accretionary prism of a subduction zone which was formerly in an ocean-crust setting but since Pliocene has been interacting with continental lithosphere. If its structural evolution is analogous to that of the New Guinea orogenic belt, then the Banda Arc has not yet reached the stage of major, foreland-directed gravity slides. The proposed structural model for the Banda Arc is at variance with some but not all structural interpretations of the island of Timor, which is an emergent portion of the outer arc. Further critical studies are obviously required, both in marine and terrestrial areas, to resolve this impasse.
Mixed time integration schemes

Abstract A current topic of research is the development of structural dynamics codes which permit different time integration methods to be used in different parts of the structure. The primary goal of this effort is the design and implementation of more efficient solution procedures. This paper presents a review of this research and emphasizes some of the factors which are important in this work. In particular, it is shown that operator splitting methods provide a natural framework for the future development of consistent and stable mixed integration schemes
Ventral slit for phimosis and paraphimosis in children

Phimosis and paraphimosis are usually treated surgically by circumcision or a dorsal slit. However, circumcision may be undesirable for a number of reasons, and a dorsal slit results in an unsatisfactory cosmetic appearance. We describe a new technique, the ventral slit, which is effective and results in a normal appearance of the prepuce.
Introduction to Oregano

This paper introduces Oregano, a practical generalization of ALGOL 60. The semantic definition of the language is in terms of an information structure model for its implementation, the contour model. Some of the major features are emphasized, including that of retention (non-deallocation of still accessible cells). The contour model is briefly described as a cell-based, fixed program component model with a retentive deallocation scheme. Modes (data types) are described as cell templates. Then, blocks, declarations, assignments, and pointer handling are illustrated in terms of sequences of pictorial snapshots in the model. A wide variety of heterogeneous and homogeneous multiple values are described using the data structure models of their implementation. Labels and procedures, which can be called recursively, are generalized to the full status of values. Coroutines and tasks are introduced as simple extensions of procedure calls, and various synchronization devices such as locking and events are illustrated. Finally, the practicality and ease of use of the language are demonstrated.
Weibull statistical models of KIc/KIa fracture toughness databases for pressure vessel steels with an application to pressurized thermal shock assessments of nuclear reactor pressure vessels☆

Abstract This paper presents new statistical representations of recently extended fracture toughness K Ic and K Ia databases for pressure vessel steels. These models were developed by the Heavy Section Steel Technology program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in support of the current effort by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to update its regulatory guidance for pressurized-thermal-shock (PTS) transients in nuclear reactor pressure vessels. The Weibull distribution, with two of its parameters calculated by the Method of Moments point-estimation technique, forms the basis for the new statistical models. An application of the new K Ic / K Ia models, as implemented in the favor probabilistic fracture mechanics computer program, is also presented for three PTS transients.
An Improved Version of Logistic Bayesian LASSO for Detecting Rare Haplotype-Environment Interactions with Application to Lung Cancer.

The importance of haplotype association and gene–environment interactions (GxE) in the context of rare variants has been underlined in voluminous literature. Recently, a software based on logistic Bayesian LASSO (LBL) was proposed for detecting GxE, where G is a rare (or common) haplotype variant (rHTV)–it is called LBL-GxE. However, it required relatively long computation time and could handle only one environmental covariate with two levels. Here we propose an improved version of LBL-GxE, which is not only computationally faster but can also handle multiple covariates, each with multiple levels. We also discuss details of the software, including input, output, and some options. We apply LBL-GxE to a lung cancer dataset and find a rare haplotype with protective effect for current smokers. Our results indicate that LBL-GxE, especially with the improvements proposed here, is a useful and computationally viable tool for investigating rare haplotype interactions.