cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitation of locked nucleic acid antisense oligonucleotides in mouse tissue using a liquid–liquid extraction LC–MS/MS analytical approach

Background: A significant challenge of oligonucleotide bioanalysis is the selective extraction from complex tissue samples, where the molecules that distribute into the intracellular space are extensively protein bound and sit amongst a high concentration of endogenous nucleic acid material. Published analytical methodology currently purports extensive sample preparation requirements that include cell lysis steps, homogenization and dual cleanup with liquid–liquid extraction and solid-phase extraction, prior to injection. Results: We have developed a simple liquid–liquid extraction approach to rapidly isolate antisense oligonucleotides from biological tissues with high recovery and combined these preparative steps with a robust monolithic column LC–MS/MS setup. The platform showed improved chromatographic resolution and detection sensitivity over standard reversed-phase columns and required a low sample volume. Conclusion: The high-throughput method was sufficient to accurately quantify multiple antisense...
Thermodynamic framework for coupling of elasto-viscoplasticity and nonlocal anisotropic damage for microelectronics solder alloys

The microstructure of soldered materials is known to have a strong influence on damage initiation and propagation and being localised. Moreover, it is well-established in the literature that the final failure of a solder joint is preceded by inhomogeneities in the deformation of the joint at relatively early stages, and that predicting the non-uniform micro-damage distribution during thermo-mechanical loading allows one to ultimately predict the failure location and time and then in turn improve the performance and reliability of microelectronic solder alloys. This study develops a general consistent and systematic framework for the analysis of microelectronic solder alloys that assesses a strong coupling between rate-dependent plasticity and rate-dependent damage within the framework of thermodynamic laws and nonlocal gradient-dependent theory. The model presented in this paper can be considered as a feasible thermodynamic approach for microelectronic solder alloys that enables one to derive various coupled thermo-viscoplasticity- viscodamage theories by introducing simplifying assumptions.
Data fusion using fuzzy-valued logic

Data fusion is an important function of all intelligent vehicle highway systems (IVHS) components. Raw data on traffic conditions are received from various sources, in several formats, and at different time intervals. The goal of data fusion is to combine such data into meaningful inferences about traffic conditions. But it is quite common for these input data to have inconsistencies, uncertainties, and a lack of completeness. Applying binary logic and Bayes decision theory is inappropriate because some contradictions and only partial information are typically present in the input data. This paper presents an alternative approach to data fusion using a fuzzy-valued logic generalized from Belnap's four valued logic.
Analysis and correction of crosstalk effects in pathway analysis

Identifying the pathways that are significantly impacted in a given condition is a crucial step in understanding the underlying biological phenomena. All approaches currently available for this purpose calculate a P-value that aims to quantify the significance of the involvement of each pathway in the given phenotype. These P-values were previously thought to be independent. Here we show that this is not the case, and that many pathways can considerably affect each other's P-values through a "crosstalk" phenomenon. Although it is intuitive that various pathways could influence each other, the presence and extent of this phenomenon have not been rigorously studied and, most importantly, there is no currently available technique able to quantify the amount of such crosstalk. Here, we show that all three major categories of pathway analysis methods (enrichment analysis, functional class scoring, and topology-based methods) are severely influenced by crosstalk phenomena. Using real pathways and data, we show that in some cases pathways with significant P-values are not biologically meaningful, and that some biologically meaningful pathways with nonsignificant P-values become statistically significant when the crosstalk effects of other pathways are removed. We describe a technique able to detect, quantify, and correct crosstalk effects, as well as identify independent functional modules. We assessed this novel approach on data from four experiments involving three phenotypes and two species. This method is expected to allow a better understanding of individual experiment results, as well as a more refined definition of the existing signaling pathways for specific phenotypes.
Discrimination in International Relations: Analyzing External Support for Ethnic Groups

Why do some ethnic groups in conflict (those that are mobilized or face discrimination) receive more external support than others do? This is an important question that has been overlooked despite the crucial role international support has played. Which characteristics of groups and their host states cause them to receive more support? I consider three explanations. First, separatist groups are less likely to receive support owing to their threat to regional stability and international norms. This argument is derived from accounts focusing on the inhibiting impact of vulnerability upon the foreign policies of African states. Second, groups in stronger states are more likely to receive support as states try to weaken their most threatening adversaries - an application of realist logic. Third, groups with ethnic ties to actors in positions of power elsewhere are more likely to receive external assistance. Using Minorities at Risk data, analyses focusing on the number of states supporting particular groups and the intensity of this support suggest that ethnic ties influence the international relations of ethnic conflict more than vulnerability and relative power. Further analyses contrast the international relations of peaceful ethnic disputes and violent ethnic conflicts. These analyses reveal that some factors (such as regime type, nearby separatism) increase breadth and/or intensity of support for groups that are not engaged in violence, while other variables (separatism of the group in question, relative power of host) influence the international relations of violent conflicts. The article concludes with implications for policy and future research.
Characterization of a Baculovirus Lacking the Alkaline Nuclease Gene

The Autographa californica multiple nucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) alkaline nuclease (AN) associates with the baculovirus single-stranded DNA binding protein LEF-3 and possesses both a 5′→3′ exonuclease and an endonuclease activity. These activities are thought to be involved in DNA recombination and replication. To investigate the role of AN in AcMNPV replication, the λ Red system was used to replace the an open reading frame with a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene (cat) and a bacmid containing the AcMNPV genome in Escherichia coli. The AcMNPV an knockout bacmid (vAcAN-KO/GUS) was unable to propagate in Sf9 cells, although an an-rescued bacmid (vAcAN-KO/GUS-Res) propagated normally. In addition, the mutant did not appear to produce budded virions. These data indicated that an is an essential baculovirus gene. Slot blot and DpnI assays of DNA replication in Sf9 cells transfected with vAcAN-KO/GUS, vAcAN-KO/GUS-Res, and a wild-type bacmid showed that the vAcAN-KO/GUS bacmid was able to replicate to levels similar to those seen with the vAcAN-KO/GUS-Res and wild-type bacmids at early stages posttransfection. However, at later time points DNA did not accumulate to the levels seen with the repaired or wild-type bacmids. Northern analysis of Sf9 cells transfected with bacmid vAcAN-KO/GUS showed that transcription of late and very late genes was lower at later times posttransfection relative to the results seen with wild-type and vAcAN-KO/GUS-Res bacmids. These data suggest that the an gene might be involved in the maturation of viral DNA or packaging of the DNA into virions.
Nonsexist Language: Successes, Neologisms, and Barbarisms

This article examines a number of attempts by students and professors to eliminate sexist language in their writing. 1 evaluated nonsexist substitutions on the basis of etymological accuracy and linguistic esthetics. Nonsexist substitutions for some difficult sexist words are suggested.
A novel genome-scale repeat finder geared towards transposons

Motivation: Repeats are ubiquitous in genomes and play important roles in evolution. Transposable elements are a common kind of repeat. Transposon insertions can be nested and make the task of identifying repeats difficult. Results: We develop a novel iterative algorithm, called Greedier, to find repeats in a target genome given a repeat library. Greedier distinguishes itself from existing methods by taking into account the fragmentation of repeats. Each iteration consists of two passes. In the first pass, it identifies the local similarities between the repeat library and the target genome. Greedier then builds graphs from this comparison output. In each graph, a vertex denotes a similar subsequence pair. Edges denote pairs of subsequences that can be connected to form higher similarities. In the second pass, Greedier traverses these graphs greedily to find matches to individual repeat units in the repeat library. It computes a fitness value for each such match denoting the similarity of that match. Matches with fitness values greater than a cutoff are removed, and the rest of the genome is stitched together. The similarity cutoff is then gradually reduced, and the iteration is repeated until no hits are returned from the comparison. Our experiments on the Arabidopsis and rice genomes show that Greedier identifies approximately twice as many transposon bases as those found by cross_match and WindowMasker. Moreover, Greedier masks far fewer false positive bases than either cross_match or WindowMasker. In addition to masking repeats, Greedier also reports potential nested transposon structures. Contact: xli@cise.ufl.edu
Tight correlation between inhibition of DNA repair in vitro and transcription factor IIIA binding in a 5S ribosomal RNA gene

UV-induced photoproducts (cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, CPDs) in DNA are removed by nucleotide excision repair (NER), and the presence of transcription factors on DNA can restrict the accessibility of NER enzymes. We have investigatigated the modulation of NER in a gene promoter using the Xenopus transcription factor IIIA (TFIIIA)-5S rDNA complex and Xenopus oocyte nuclear extracts. TFIIIA alters CPD formation primarily in the transcribed strand of the 50 bp internal control region (ICR) of 5S rDNA. During NER in vitro, CPD removal is reduced at most sites in both strands of the ICR when TFIIIA is bound. Efficient repair occurs just outside the TFIIIA-binding site (within 10 bp), and in the absence of 5S rRNA transcription. Interestingly, three CPD sites within the ICR [+56, +75 (transcribed strand) and +73 (non-transcribed strand)] are repaired rapidly when TFIIIA is bound, while CPDs within approximately 5 bases of these sites are repaired much more slowly. CPDs at these three sites may partially displace TFIIIA, thereby enabling rapid repair. However, TFIIIA is not completely displaced during NER, at least at sites outside the ICR, even though the NER complex could be sterically hindered by TFIIIA. Such inefficient repair of transcription factor binding sites could increase mutation frequency in regulatory regions of genes.
Cool tropical temperatures shift the global δ18O‐T relationship: An explanation for the ice core δ18O ‐ borehole thermometry conflict?

The discrepancy between central Greenland borehole temperatures and the isotopic composition of Last Glacial Maximum ice can be explained by a shift in the •5180-T relationship for the hydrological cycle linked to cooler tropical temperatures. This concept is illustrated using a simple Rayleigh distillation model. An estimate for o•=A•5180/AT (LGM-Holocene) of-0.37 %o/oC is determined with a simple graphical technique.
COMPUTER SIMULATION OF STORAGE LIFE OF FOODS UNDERGOING SPOILAGE BY TWO INTERACTING MECHANISMS

A mathematical model was developed to describe the deterioration of potato chips, a model of dry food products in flexible packages. In this product, deterioration occurred by two mechanisms acting simultaneously with interaction between them. The mechanisms were: oxidation by atmospheric oxygen and textural changes due to water absorption. We found that the extent of oxidation and the equilibrium relative humidity increase due to water absorption could be predicted as a function of time. The technique can be applied to investigate the storage life of products for different package configurations, initial conditions and environmental conditions.
Designs for an infrared free-electron laser based on gyrotron-powered electromagnetic wigglers

The possibility of developing gyrotron-powered electromagnetic wiggler free-electron laser (FEL) oscillators is of considerable interest for reducing the electron energy required for operation in the infrared spectrum. This paper considers the design of a 10.6 /spl mu/m electromagnetic wiggler FEL experiment based on the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) 6 MeV electrostatic accelerator. Both waveguide and quasioptical wiggler resonator configurations are considered. A prescription for optimizing the gain of a waveguide electromagnetic wiggler FEL is derived and the nonlinear regime is treated by relating the electromagnetic wiggler FEL equations-of-motion to the "universal" normalized FEL equations. Point designs are given showing accelerator, gyrotron, and output parameters for 10.6 /spl mu/m Proof-of-Principle FEE experiments based on both waveguide gyrotron and quasioptical gyrotron wigglers. Designs are given for both a 5- and a 2-A FEL electron beam. >
Role of lgtC in Resistance of Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Strain R2866 to Human Serum

We are investigating a nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) strain, R2866, isolated from a child with meningitis. R2866 is unusually resistant to killing by normal human serum. The serum 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) for this strain is 18%, approaching that of encapsulated H. influenzae. R3392 is a derivative of R2866 that was found to have increased sensitivity to human serum (IC50, 1.5%). Analysis of tetrameric repeat regions within lipooligosaccharide (LOS) biosynthetic genes in both strains indicated that the glycosyltransferase gene lgtC was out of frame ("off") in most colonies of R3392 but in frame with its start codon ("on") in most colonies of the parent. We sought antigenic and biochemical evidence for modification of the LOS structure. In a whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, strain R3392 displayed reduced binding of the Galalpha1,4Gal-specific monoclonal antibody 4C4. Mass spectrometry analysis of LOS from strain R2866 indicated that the primary oligosaccharide glycoform contained four heptose and four hexose residues, while that of R3392 contained four heptose and three hexose residues. We conclude that the R2866 lgtC gene encodes a galactosyltransferase involved in synthesis of the 4C4 epitope, as in other strains, and that expression of lgtC is associated with the high-level serum resistance that has been observed for this strain. This is the first description of the genetic basis of high-level serum resistance in NTHI, as well as the first description of LOS composition in an NTHI strain for which the complete genome sequence has been determined.
EFFECT OF o,p′DDD IN A PATIENT WITH CUSHING'S SYNDROME*

A total of 546 Gm. of o,p′DDD was administered over a 16-week period to a patient with Cushing's syndrome apparently due to nontumorous hyperfunction. A rapid and significant decrease in adrenocortical function occurred in association with marked clinical improvement. Six weeks after discontinuance of the therapy the urinary excretion of neutral 17-ketosteroids increased and the drug was restarted; the urinary 17-KS level promptly returned to normal. Clinical and biochemical remission is being maintained with 2 Gm. of the drug daily, and there have been no significant toxic reactions. In view of this experience, o,p′DDD may prove to be a useful agent in the therapy of nontumorous Cushing's syndrome. It is still too early, however, to assess the long-term effects.
The Biopower of Beauty: Humanitarian Imperialisms and Global Feminisms in an Age of Terror

Abstract As part of a feminist commitment to collaboration, this article, which appears as a companion essay to Minh‐Ha T. Pham’s “The Right to Fashion in the Age of Terror,” offers a point of departure for thinking about fashion and beauty as processes that produce subjects recruited to, and aligned with, the national interests of the United States in the war on terror. The Muslim woman in the veil and her imagined opposite, the fashionably modern and implicitly Western woman, become convenient metaphors for articulating geopolitical contests of power as human rights concerns, as rescue missions, as beautifying mandates. This essay examines newer iterations of this opposition, after September 11, 2001, in order to demonstrate the critical resonance of a biopolitics of fashion and beauty. After the events of September 11, 2001, George W. Bush’s administration launched a military and public relations campaign to promote U.S. national interests using the language of feminism and human rights. While these di...
TWO-PHASE FLOW AND HEAT TRANSFER

This chapter starts with definitions of various parameters for two-phase flow and flow patterns in vertical and horizontal tubes. This is followed by two-phase flow models as well as prediction of pressure drops and void fractions. Finally, the two-phase flow regimes and heat transfer characteristics for forced convective condensation and boiling at both macro- and microscale levels are presented.
Using quantile regression to create baseline norms for neuropsychological tests

Introduction The Uniform Data Set (UDS) contains neuropsychological test scores and demographic information for participants at Alzheimer's disease centers across the United States funded by the National Institute on Aging. Mean regression analysis of neuropsychological tests has been proposed to detect cognitive decline, but the approach requires stringent assumptions.
Proceedings of the 4th ACM workshop on Digital rights management

The area of Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a unique blend of many diverse subareas. These subareas include Mathematics and Cryptography, Legal and Social aspects, Signal Processing, Game Theory, Information Theory, Software and Systems Design and Business Analysis. The ACM Workshop on Digital Rights Management is an international forum that serves as an interdisciplinary bridge across these areas. Its purpose is to bring together researchers from the above fields for a full day of formal talks and informal discussions, covering new results that will spur new investigations regarding the foundations and practices of DRM. This year's workshop, the fourth in the series, continued this tradition. As in the previous years it was sponsored by ACM SIGSAC and was held in conjunction with the 11th ACM Conference in Computer and Communications Security (CCS). This volume contains the proceedings of the workshop and is a good representation of the diversity of disciplines that contribute to the complexity of DRM. The workshop received 27 submissions (from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America) out of which 10 were accepted for presentation after a rigorous refereeing process. There were two invited talks at the workshop that covered different ends of the spectrum of Digital Rights Management. The first talk, given by Jean-Jacques Quisquater and Francois-Xavier Standaert, presented a new system for digital cinema applications that was developed by a team of researchers from Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. The second invited talk, delivered by Reinaneh Safavi-Naini of the University of Wollongong, Australia, surveyed the cryptographic area of Traitor Tracing --- a basic primitive for DRM technology.
Exploring the Relationships Among Level of Contact, Nature of Contact, and Mental Illness Stigma in Adolescent Girls

This study explored the relationship of individuals' level of contact with someone with mental illness, and the nature of that contact, to mental illness stigma in adolescent females (N = 156). There were no significant associations among stigma and level of contact. The nature of the contact was significantly associated with stigma, such that those who knew someone who received treatment in a psychiatric facility had lower stigma, and those who attributed a deterioration of a past personal relationship to mental illness reported greater stigma.
Adaptation of the Standard Durrum-Typc Cell for Reverse-Flaw Paper Electrophoresis

Although determination of the concentration of protein-bound iodine (PBI) in serum has proved useful in clinical medicine and research, interpretation of the results often remains difficult because of the lack of simultaneously obtained data on the thyroxine-binding capacity of the serum. Thus, in a euthyroid person, pregnancy or the administration of estrogens may cause an increase in the serum PBI concentration to a level suggesting hyperthyroidism. Determination of the thyroxine-binding capacity of the serum in such instances will reveal that the latter is elevated and that the serum PBI concentration reflects an increased concentration of bound thyroxine. Therefore, the development in recent years of paper electrophoresis methods for determining the thyroxine-binding capacity of the serum has been a significant advance and has provided much useful data; 7 however, for reasons discussed below, standard electrophoresis technic has suffered from certain disadvantages in the determination of thyroxine-binding capacity. Ingbar has succeeded in overcoming these disadvantages by substituting tris-maleate for barbital buffer, whereas Robbins has overcome them by means of a reverse-flow technic, using specially constructed apparatus. Tanaka and Starr have reported the similar use of reverse-flow electrophoresis, but details of the technic were not given. Both Robbins and Tanaka described the
Spatial distribution of Malus root systems in irrigated, trellised orchards

SummaryRoot distribution was determined for apple trees [Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill. var. domestica (Borkh.) Mansf. ‘Fuji’/’M.26’ (syn. M. domestica Borkh. non Poir.)] 1, 2 and 3 years after planting in trellised orchards in central Texas. Using a soil-coring method, measurable differences were detected in root-length density (RLD; root length per unit volume of soil) by tree age, soil depth, radial distance from the tree, and spatial bearing within and across rows (P ≤ 0.05). For fine roots (root diameters < 1 mm), mean RLD values were 0.1028, 0.1139 and 0.2911 cm cm–3 for 1, 2 and 3 year-old plantings, respectively. For coarse roots (root diameters 1–5 mm), mean RLD values were 0.0006, 0.0009 and 0.0015 cm cm–3 for 1, 2 and 3 year-old plantings, respectively. Mean RLD values declined for both fine and coarse roots of all ages with increasing soil depth and radial distance from the trunk (P ≤ 0.05). Similar patterns were observed for the number of soil cores containing measurable roots. The percentage of...
"Nulla per os [NPO] after midnight" reassessed.

The concept that fasting produces an "empty stomach" has been shown to be incorrect. Numerous studies demonstrate that fasting neither diminishes gastric volume nor decreases gastric acidity and the risk of pulmonary aspiration is not increased by the preoperative intake of clear liquids. Nevertheless, most surgeons and anesthesiologists continue to adhere to the traditional NPO after midnight tradition, a tradition which should be abandoned. Withholding fluids preoperatively is not only of no benefit to patients but may even be harmful. Based on current knowledge and experience, the following guidelines, which represent a beneficial and humane advance for all surgical patients, are recommended. 1) Adults and children undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia as inpatients or outpatients in good health (ASA Class I or II) and without specific contra-indications (such as morbid obesity, gastrointestinal disease, etc.) should be allowed and encouraged to drink clear fluids up to two hours before surgery. 2) Patients undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia and major regional blocks that might require conversion to general anesthesia should remain NPO for solids and non-clear liquids for a minimum of six hours before scheduled surgery. 3) Patients undergoing elective surgery under regional local anesthesia in good health and without specific contra-indication should be allowed and encouraged to have their normal breakfast and fluids as desired on the day of surgery.
Can mental illness be prevented under managed care

Ideally, managed care should force a focus on all the issues involved in prevention and treatment. Unfortunately, the decisions in managed care are based on costs, along with the intervention techniques, as the most important criteria in choice of treatment. Medical treatment accounts for only 10 percent of health. To find a solution means working together, making the goal "healthy people in a healthy community." Programs such as the Healthy Cities initiative, not managed care, are more likely to realize this goal.
Neurofibromatous Ureteral Obstruction Relieved by Sigmoid Conduit Cystoplasty

Abstract Neurofibromatosis is a neural disease of hereditary nature affecting both sexes of all races. Visceral and central nervous system involvement can cause serious interference with normal function of affected structures. Under these circumstances, lifelong observation and individualized treatment of the patient are essential to proper management. This report is an account of nearly 2 decades of conservative management of neurofibromatosis of the pelvis in a young woman. Progressive, bilateral ureteral obstruction developed but normal function of the urinary tract has been maintained for the last 10 years with a sigmoid conduit cystoplasty. It is anticipated that continued progression of the disease will require cutaneous transfer of the sigmoid conduit. Also, a colostomy might become necessary because of recent evidence of rectal obstruction noted on computed tomography.
Algorithms to control coal segregation under non-stationary conditions: Part I: Moving window and SPC-based updating methods

Abstract With highly heterogeneous run of mine coal streams, physical segregation, using on-line quality measurements, can serve as an economically important first stage of the mineral beneficiation process. Segregation enables high quality fractions of the stream to bypass cleaning operations, thereby saving cleaning costs and avoiding the yield losses inherent in any downstream separation process. This paper develops control strategies that address the objectives of quality targeting of the no-wash coal to meet desired quality specifications while maximizing yield of the segregation process to the no-wash stock. It extends earlier work by the authors to deal with the case where the stochastic nature of the quality levels is non-stationary over time, a situation any practical segregation system should accommodate. Two techniques, involving the use of moving windows and auto-correlated statistical process control techniques, are employed to define intervals of time where the process might be considered as “locally” stationary. Subsequently, two different methods, involving the use of empirical and Gaussian distributions, are used to characterize the distribution of quality levels over these intervals. Given this characterization, a special decision criterion is applied to make segregation decisions that enables one to meet the control objectives stated above. Performance of different variants of these control strategies are compared with each other and to an existing industrial segregation algorithm using data obtained at a representative mine. The methods show dramatically improved capability to control quality targets and increase yields. Moreover, different variants of the algorithms are more effective in different application circumstances.
Nilpotent bridging for unions of two bases

In a recent article, the authors discovered a new, efficient method for perfect reconstruction from frame erasures called nilpotent bridging. In order to perform the reconstruction, it is necessary to invert a matrix, called the bridge matrix, which consists of inner products of the frame vectors indexed by the erasure set, with vectors from the corresponding dual frame indexed by a set known as the bridge set, which is disjoint from the erasure set. If no search procedure is required to find a bridge set of the same size as the erasure set for which the bridge matrix is invertible, the dual frame pair is said to satisfy the full skew-spark property. Equivalently, a frame satisfies the full skew-spark property if every subset of the complement of the erasure set with the same cardinality as the erasure set yields an invertible bridge matrix. In this paper, we consider dual frame pairs which consist of a union of two bases, and the union of their corresponding dual bases. In finite dimensions, it is shown that if we restrict the class of bridge sets to block bridge sets, then a bridge set search is also unnecessary for most unions of two bases, and most unions of two orthonormal bases. By most, we mean the set of unions of two bases (resp. orthonormal bases) for which no bridge set search is necessary contains an open, dense set in the set of all unions of two bases (resp. orthonormal bases). So, while not every bridge set of the same cardinality as the erasure set yields an invertible bridge matrix, the bridge sets which have the special structure of block bridge sets are very likely to yield an invertible bridge matrix. These unions of two bases are said to satisfy the block skew-spark property. In infinite dimensions, we also show that the block skew-spark property holds for a dense (but not necessarily open) set of unions of two Riesz (resp. orthonormal) bases. Lastly, applications to Shannon–Whittaker sampling theory are discussed, and several open questions are posed pertaining to sampling theory.
Evaluation of the 8th edition American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) staging system for patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: A surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) analysis

Background The objective of this study was to assess the prognostic performance of American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th edition in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) using a cancer registry. Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry was queried to identify 1008 patients who underwent surgical resection of ICC during 1998-2013. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to analyze long-term survival. The relative discriminative abilities were assessed using the Harrell's concordance index. Results Median patient age was 62 years and 47.6% of the patients were male. Most tumors were T1 or T2 (n = 413, 41.0% and n = 329, 32.6%, respectively) and 22.1% of patients had lymph node (LN) metastasis. Median tumor size was 5.5 cm. With a median follow-up of 18 months, median survival was 27 months and 5-year OS was 30.6%. The OS c-index for the AJCC 8th staging system was 0.669, which was comparable with the c-index for the 7th edition AJCC staging system (c-index: 0.667); the AJCC 8th-edition did provide more discrete stratification of patients. Conclusions The new AJCC 8th-edition staging system for ICC was largely comparable to the 7th-edition version and did not provide a marked improvement in overall prognostic discrimination.
Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physicians' Use of Point-of-care Ultrasound and Barriers to Implementation: A Regional Pilot Study.

Objectives Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been identified as a critical skill for pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physicians. The purpose of this study was to profile the current status of PEM POCUS in pediatric emergency departments. Methods An electronic survey was distributed to PEM fellows and attending physicians at four major pediatric academic health centers. The 24-item questionnaire covered professional demographics, POCUS experience and proficiency, and barriers to the use of POCUS in pediatric emergency departments. We used descriptive and inferential statistics to profile respondent's PEM POCUS experience and proficiency, and Rasch analysis to evaluate barriers to implementation. Results Our return rate was 92.8% (128/138). Respondents were attending physicians (68%). and fellows (28%). Most completed pediatric residencies prior to PEM fellowship (83.6%). Almost all had some form of ultrasound education (113/128, 88.3%). About half (46.9%) completed a formal ultrasound curriculum. More than half (53.2%) said their ultrasound education was pediatric-specific. Most participants (67%) rated their POCUS proficiency low (Levels 1-2), while rating proficiency in other professional competencies (procedures 52%, emergency stabilization 70%) high (Levels 4-5). There were statistically significant differences in POCUS proficiency between those with formal vs. informal ultrasound education, (p<0.001) and those from pediatric vs. emergency medicine residencies (p<.05). Participants identified both personal barriers: discomfort with POCUS skills (76.7%), insufficient educational time to learn POCUS (65%), and negative impact of POCUS on efficiency (58.5%); and institutional barriers to the use of ultrasound: consultants won't use ultrasound findings from emergency department (60%), insufficient mentoring (64.7%), and POCUS not being a departmental priority (57%). Conclusions While POCUS utilization continues to grow in PEM, significant barriers to full implementation still persist. One significant barrier relates to the need for dedicated time to learn and drill POCUS to achieve sufficient levels of proficiency for use in practice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Predictors of Incomplete Occlusion following Pipeline Embolization of Intracranial Aneurysms: Is It Less Effective in Older Patients?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Flow diversion with the Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms is associated with a high rate of aneurysm occlusion. However, clinical and radiographic predictors of incomplete aneurysm occlusion are poorly defined. In this study, predictors of incomplete occlusion at last angiographic follow-up after PED treatment were assessed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of consecutive aneurysms treated with the PED between 2009 and 2016, at 3 academic institutions in the United States, was performed. Cases with angiographic follow-up were selected to evaluate factors predictive of incomplete aneurysm occlusion at last follow-up. RESULTS: We identified 465 aneurysms treated with the PED; 380 (81.7%) aneurysms (329 procedures; median age, 58 years; female/male ratio, 4.8:1) had angiographic follow-up, and were included. Complete occlusion (100%) was achieved in 78.2% of aneurysms. Near-complete (90%–99%) and partial ( CONCLUSIONS: Complete occlusion following PED treatment of intracranial aneurysms can be influenced by several factors related to the patient, aneurysm, and treatment. Of these factors, older age (older than 70 years) and nonsmoking status were independent predictors of incomplete occlusion. While the physiologic explanation for these findings remains unknown, identification of factors predictive of incomplete aneurysm occlusion following PED placement can assist in patient selection and counseling and might provide insight into the biologic factors affecting endothelialization.
Towards a robust data link for intraoral tongue drive system using triple bands and adaptive matching

This paper presents the steps we have taken towards implementing a reliable and robust data link that is necessary for an intraoral Tongue Drive System (iTDS), which is a wireless and wearable assistive technology (AT). The iTDS detects the user's intention from a set of user-defined commands that are defined based on tongue gestures to control wheelchair, phone, PC, etc. To deal with potential sources of RF interference, and add a certain level of redundancy, three operating bands, at 27 MHz, 433 MHz, and 915 MHz have been utilized and integrated in the compact circuit and system design. Additionally, to maintain high data link performance in the presence of tongue and jaw movements, which constantly change the loading on antennas, an adaptive matching network is incorporated in the transmitter (Tx) to deal with the dynamic oral environment for 433 MHz and 915 MHz bands, while sharing a dual-band antenna. An auto-tuning algorithm keeps the antenna matched, thanks to a feedback loop mechanism, which provides Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) ≤ 2 match for the impedance with VSWR ≤ 4. The adaptive 3-band Tx chip is implemented in the TSMC035 standard CMOS process, and post-layout simulation results have been presented.
Late- and Post-glacial history of the East Branch of the Penobscot River, Maine, USA

Between ~20 and 15 ka the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreated from the edge of the continental shelf, ἀrst to the Maine coast and then across Maine to the northern reaches of the Penobscot Lowland. The Lowland, being isostatically depressed, was inundated by the sea. As ice then retreated into Maine’s western mountains, valleys through the mountains became estuaries. In the estuary now occupied by the Penobscot River’s East Branch, ten ice-marginal deltas were built during pauses in this part of the retreat. By 14 ka the ice had retreated far enough to expose land in the valley bottom between the ice front and the sea, and the Penobscot River was (re)born. This occurred near the present conᴀuence of the Seboeis River and the East Branch. The river gradually extended itself northward as the ice retreated and southward as relative sea level fell. Braidplains were formed and incised, leaving terraces. High initial discharges eroded the eastern ᴀanks of the esker and deltas, redepositing silt, sand, and gravel all the way to the present head of Penobscot Bay. By ~10 ka the discharge had decreased, the river was adjusting to on-going differential isostatic rebound, and finer sediment was accumulating, forming the present floodplain.
HIV Within the House Ball Community and the Promise of Community-Based Social Structures for Intervention and Support

The House Ball Community, made up of houses and the elaborate balls that they organize and perform in, exists in a number of cities across the United States. These social activities and alliances represent safe spaces for young (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people) to give and receive affirmation for non-heteronormative gender and sexual identities. Recent funding for HIV prevention activities, in conjunction with a policy of test and treat, has led to departments of health and community-based organizations supporting balls as a way to capture young men who have sex with men of color and transgender women of color in particular for HIV testing and case detection. We discuss the importance of the social structures underpinning the elaborate cultural practices of the House Ball Community, their implications for providing support for HIV prevention and treatment for community members, and suggestions for future research with the House Ball Community.
Transcranial alternating current stimulation induces long-term augmentation of neural connectivity and sustained anxiety reduction

Although transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has demonstrated short-term effects in modulating neural oscillations, potential clinical efficacy of tACS for treating "oscillopathies" (disorders associated with aberrant neural oscillations) hinges on its ability to generate long-term neural plasticity, which can translate into lasting behavioral changes. Administering alpha-frequency tACS over 4 consecutive days, we evaluated short- and long-term (> 24 hours) effects of alpha-tACS on local alpha power and oscillatory connectivity, along with behavioral outcomes in anxious arousal and affective sensory perception. The alpha-tACS (vs. sham stimulation) group exhibited increases in posterior alpha power immediately and 30 minutes post-stimulation but not 24 hours post-stimulation, suggesting transient effects on local neuronal synchrony. Strikingly, long-range alpha-frequency Granger causal connectivity (posterior-to-frontal) increased not only immediately and 30 minutes but also 24 hours post-stimulation, paralleled by sustained reductions in anxious arousal and aversion to auditory stimuli. Therefore, tACS is capable of eliciting long-term plasticity in long-range oscillatory connectivity with direct, lasting behavioral consequences, while leaving endogenous local oscillations unaltered. This temporal disparity in local and network effects favors the view of large-scale network strengthening by tACS, calling for research attention to the circuit and network impacts of tACS. Critically, with the growing recognition of large-scale network dysfunctions as a transdiagnostic pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, this connectivity plasticity advocates for the clinical application of tACS with its unique advantage in tackling network pathologies.
Ethnic Differences in Prevalence of Post-stroke Depression

Background: Little is known about ethnic differences in poststroke depression (PSD) in the United States. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of PSD at 90 days after first-ever stroke and to examine ethnic differences in the prevalence between Mexican Americans (MAs) and non-Hispanic whites (NHWs). Methods and Results: Stroke cases from 2011 to 2015 were identified from the BASIC project (Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi)—a population-based stroke surveillance study in south Texas. Participants were interviewed at the onset of stroke (baseline interview) and ≈90 days post-stroke (outcome interview). PSD was assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-8. Inverse probability weights were generated to account for differential attrition, and weighted logistic regression was used to investigate the association between ethnicity and PSD. The study sample consisted of 586 first-ever stroke patients who completed nonproxy baseline and outcome interviews and had depression assessment. Approximately, 60% of them were MAs, and 40% were NHWs. After accounting for attrition, the prevalence of depression at 90 days post-stroke was 30.4% for MAs (95% confidence interval, 25.0%–35.9%) and 20.7% for NHWs (95% confidence interval, 15.7%–25.7%). The crude odds of PSD in MAs was 1.69 times greater than that in NHWs (95% confidence interval, 1.13–2.51). The odds ratio decreased by 23.6% after adjustment for education (odds ratio, 1.29; 95% confidence interval, 0.82–2.02) and was further attenuated with additional adjustment for other covariates. Conclusions: MAs had a higher prevalence of PSD at 90 days than NHWs. The ethnic difference was explained by sociodemographic and health factors, especially low educational attainment.
Hypertension in older adults: What is the target blood pressure?

Goal: systolic pressure below 130 mm Hg if the patient can take multiple medications and be followed closely.
Viral Infections of the Lung

The lungs are among the most vulnerable to microbial assault of all organs in the body. From a contemporary vantage, lower respiratory tract infections are the greatest cause of infection-related mortality in the United States, and rank seventh among all causes of deaths in the United States.2,3 From a global and historic perspective, the scope and scale of lower respiratory tract infection is greater than any other infectious syndrome, and viral pneumonias have proven to be some of the most lethal and dramatic of human diseases. The 1918–1919 influenza pandemic, perhaps the most devastating infectious disease pandemic in recorded history, resulted in an estimated 40 million deaths worldwide, including 700,000 deaths in the U.S.4 The global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) during 2003, although considerably smaller in scale, resulted in 8098 cases and 774 deaths5 and is a dramatic contemporary example of the ability of viral pneumonias to rapidly disseminate and cause severe disease in human populations.
The Singular Nature of Emergent Levels: Suggestions for a Theory of Emergence

Suggestions are offered for a theory of emergence based on a clarification and new interpretation of the singular nature of emergent levels. These suggestions cover formalisms, formulations, and measurements. In contrast to mere collectivities, as well as the rendering of macro- and micro-levels in entropy formulations, order parameters, and distinctions in temporal dynamics, emergent levels are described as “privileged” and “confounded.” A discussion of the insufficiency of previous formalisms in dealing with the structural novelty of emergent levels sets the stage for the introduction of a new formal construct, that of self-transcending constructions. This construct is linked to the idea of logical depth as a complexity measure. The advantages of a semantic rather than information–theoretic perspective are discussed. In addition, the tendency to confuse levels in models with levels in emergent phenomena themselves is described. Finally, conclusions about emergent levels as a new natural kind construct are offered.
CHITIN SOLVENTS AND SOLUBILITY PARAMETERS

Polymer solvents ave those whose solubility parameters (8) (a numerical value based on cohesive energy densities) approximate that of the polymer itself. Solvents are further classified as to their hydrogen bonding proclivities: poor (P), moderate (M) and strong (S), which is particularly important in selection of cosolvents.
The gaseous environments of quasars: associate absorption lines with density and distance constraints

Associated absorption lines (AALs) in quasar spectra are valuable probes of the gas kinematics and physical conditions in quasar environments. The host galaxies are by definition in an active evolution stage that might involve large-scale blowouts and/or cold-mode accretion (infall) from the intergalactic medium (IGM). We discuss rest-frame UV spectra of four redshift 2-3 quasars selected to have low-ionisation AALs of SiII or CII that place unique density and distance constraints on the absorbers. Our analysis of the AALs yields the following results. One of the quasars, Q0119$-$046, has a rich complex of 11 AAL systems that appear to be infalling at measured speeds from $\sim$0 to $\sim$1150 km s$^{-1}$ at distance $\sim$5.7 kpc from the quasar. The range of ions detected, up to NeVIII, indicates a wide range of densities from $\sim$4 to $\sim$2500 cm$^{-3}$. Partial covering the quasar emission source requires cloud sizes $<$1 pc and possibly $<$0.01 pc. The short dissipation times of these small clouds suggests that they are created in situ at their observed location, perhaps as dense condensations in cold-mode accreting gas from IGM. The AALs in the other three quasars have outflow speeds from $\sim$1900 to $\sim$3000 km s$^{-1}$. Some of them also appear to have a range of densities based on the range of ions detected, including MgI $\lambda$2853 in Q0105+061. However, the absence of excited-state AALs yields only upper limits on their gas densities ($\lesssim150$ cm$^{-3}$) and large minimum distances ($\gtrsim$40 kpc) from the quasars. These AALs might represent highly extended quasar-driven outflows, although their actual physical relationships to the quasars cannot be established.
Clinical outcomes of early-stage ampullary carcinoma: KU Cancer Center experience.

e16192Background: Ampullary cancer (AC) is a rare GI malignancy. The management of the locoregional disease iscurative surgery.The role of adjuvant chemotherapy[CT] or combination chemoradiation[CR...