cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lesions Simulating Retinoblastoma (Pseudoretinoblastoma) in 604 Cases: Results Based on Age at Presentation

Purpose To determine the types and frequency of ocular conditions that simulate retinoblastoma (pseudoretinoblastoma) based on age at presentation. Design Retrospective case series. Participants Two thousand seven hundred seventy-five patients. Methods Chart review. Main Outcome Measures Conditions simulating retinoblastoma. Results Of 2775 patients referred for management of retinoblastoma, 2171 patients (78%) had confirmed retinoblastoma and 604 patients (22%) had simulating lesions (pseudoretinoblastomas). In the pseudoretinoblastoma cohort, the mean patient age at presentation was 4 years (median, 2 years). There were 27 different pseudoretinoblastoma conditions, and the 10 most common included Coats' disease (n = 244; 40%), persistent fetal vasculature (PFV; n=158; 28%), vitreous hemorrhage (n = 27; 5%), ocular toxocariasis (n = 22; 4%), familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR; n=18; 3%), rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (n = 18; 3%), coloboma (n = 17; 3%), astrocytic hamartoma (n = 15; 2%), combined hamartoma of retina and retinal pigment epithelium (n = 15; 2%), and endogenous endophthalmitis (n = 10; 2%). Simulating lesions differed based on age at presentation, and children younger than 1 year were most likely to have PFV (49%), Coats' disease (20%), or vitreous hemorrhage (7%); those 2 to 5 years of age were most likely to have Coats' disease (61%), toxocariasis (8%), or PFV (7%); and those older than 5 years were most likely to have Coats' disease (57%), toxocariasis (8%), or FEVR (6%). Conclusions The most common pseudoretinoblastomas include Coats' disease, PFV, and vitreous hemorrhage, but the spectrum varies depending on patient age. Financial Disclosure(s) The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
Conformational origins of polymorphism in two forms of flufenamic acid

Abstract Flufenamic acid is the most polymorphic rich molecular solid currently known. Here, the origins of the two most common polymorphs of flufenamic acid (Form I and Form III) were investigated using terahertz spectroscopy and solid-state density functional theory. Terahertz spectroscopy probes the low-frequency vibrations that are sensitive to both the intermolecular and intramolecular interactions of molecules in the solid-state. This ability makes terahertz spectroscopy a particularly useful tool for characterizing polymorphic systems, where slight changes in packing arrangements distinguish different polymorphs. Solid-state density functional theory provides a means to achieve better understanding of the chemical origins of the low-frequency vibrations, while also revealing the energetic details of the polymorph relative stabilities. The exploration of these flufenamic acid polymorphs revealed that molecular conformation drives the formation of these particular forms, specifically the magnitude and orientation of the molecular dipoles dictate the preferred solid-state packing arrangements.
A Critique of the Doctrine of Universal Salvation

Three basic attitudes toward human destiny have precipitated out of the modern theological mentality: double predestination, Arminianism, and universalism. Of the three, Arminianism and double predestination have been unacceptable to a large segment of modern protestantism. The result is that universalism, in one form or another, has assumed wide popularity in recent years. The doctrine has become what might be called an article in the popular creed. But since the influence of universalism has come about largely through default, its explicit formulation has remained incommensurate with its popularity and importance.
Local Multiplicity Adjustment for the Spatial Scan Statistic Using the Gumbel Distribution

The spatial scan statistic is an important and widely used tool for cluster detection. It is based on the simultaneous evaluation of the statistical significance of the maximum likelihood ratio test statistic over a large collection of potential clusters. In most cluster detection problems, there is variation in the extent of local multiplicity across the study region. For example, using a fixed maximum geographic radius for clusters, urban areas typically have many overlapping potential clusters, while rural areas have relatively few. The spatial scan statistic does not account for local multiplicity variation. We describe a previously proposed local multiplicity adjustment based on a nested Bonferroni correction and propose a novel adjustment based on a Gumbel distribution approximation to the distribution of a local scan statistic. We compare the performance of all three statistics in terms of power and a novel unbiased cluster detection criterion. These methods are then applied to the well-known New York leukemia dataset and a Wisconsin breast cancer incidence dataset.
In Planta Analysis of the Cell Cycle-Dependent Localization of AtCDC48A and Its Critical Roles in Cell Division, Expansion, and Differentiation

CDC48/p97 is a conserved homohexameric AAA-ATPase chaperone required for a variety of cellular processes but whose role in the development of a multicellular model system has not been examined. Here, we have used reverse genetics, visualization of a functional Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) CDC48 fluorescent fusion protein, and morphological analysis to examine the subcellular distribution and requirements for AtCDC48A in planta. Homozygous Atcdc48A T-DNA insertion mutants arrest during seedling development, exhibiting decreased cell expansion and displaying pleiotropic defects in pollen and embryo development. Atcdc48A insertion alleles show significantly reduced male transmission efficiency due to defects in pollen tube growth. Yellow fluorescent protein-AtCDC48A, a fusion protein that functionally complements the insertion mutant defects, localizes in the nucleus and cytoplasm and is recruited to the division mid-zone during cytokinesis. The pattern of nuclear localization differs according to the stage of the cell cycle and differentiation state. Inducible expression of an Atcdc48A Walker A ATPase mutant in planta results in cytokinesis abnormalities, aberrant cell divisions, and root trichoblast differentiation defects apparent in excessive root hair emergence. At the biochemical level, our data suggest that the endogenous steady-state protein level of AtCDC48A is dependent upon the presence of ATPase-active AtCDC48A. These results demonstrate that CDC48A/p97 is critical for cytokinesis, cell expansion, and differentiation in plants.
Using conditional random fields to exploit token structure and labels for accurate semantic annotation

Automatic semantic annotation of structured data enables un-supervised integration of data from heterogeneous sources but is difficult to perform accurately due to the presence of many numeric fields and proper-noun fields that do not allow reference-based approaches and the absence of natural language text that prevents the use of language-based approaches. In addition, several of these semantic types have multiple heterogeneous representations, while sharing syntactic structure with other types. In this work, we propose a new approach to use conditional random fields (CRFs) to perform semantic annotation of structured data that takes advantage of the structure and labels of the tokens for higher accuracy of field labeling, while still allowing the use of exact inference techniques. We compare our approach with a linear-CRF based model that only labels fields and also with a regular-expression based approach.
Role of neuropeptide Y in opossum internal anal sphincter

The present investigation was undertaken to examine the effects and role of neuropeptide Y (NPY) on the internal anal sphincter (IAS). The studies were performed in alpha-chloralose-anesthetized opossums. Resting pressure in the IAS (IASP) was recorded using low-compliant continuously perfused catheters. The effect of NPY administered close intra-arterially on the resting IASP was examined before and after different neurohumoral antagonists and the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (TTX). To examine the influence of sympathetic nerves, the ventral roots of lumbar sympathetic nerves were isolated in some experiments and stimulated electrically. The influence of NPY on the IAS relaxation in response to rectoanal reflex mimicked by rectal balloon distension (RD) was also examined. NPY caused dose-dependent rise in the IASP, which was not modified by different neurohumoral antagonists and TTX. The rise in IASP by electrical stimulation of ventral lumbar nerve root (L3) was suppressed but not abolished by phentolamine. However, guanethidine (which depletes both norepinephrine and NPY) caused complete obliteration of this response. The other effect of NPY on the IAS was significant antagonism of IAS relaxation caused by RD. From these results, we conclude that NPY exerts two different actions on the IAS. First, it causes a rise in IASP by its action directly at the IAS smooth muscle. Sympathetic nerve stimulation may cause a rise in IASP by its action directly at the IAS smooth muscle partially through release of NPY. Second, it inhibits IAS relaxation produced by rectoanal reflex. These findings would suggest an important regulatory role of NPY in rectoanal physiology.
Microwave Ablation for the Treatment of Hepatic Adenomas

Microwave (MW) ablation was used to treat 12 hepatocellular adenomas in six patients (five women and one man; mean age, 39.6 y). Mean treated tumor size was 2.7 cm ± 2.0. Tumor response was evaluated with serial cross-sectional imaging for a mean follow-up of 12.6 months ± 7.1. Primary treatment effectiveness and local tumor control were 100%. There were no instances of hemorrhage, malignant transformation, new hepatic tumors, or extrahepatic metastases. This early experience of treatment of hepatic adenomas by MW ablation demonstrates it to be a safe and feasible treatment modality at short-term follow-up. Continued investigation, including comparison with other treatment modalities, is warranted.
Comments on Assessing the Bush Administration's Tax Agenda

This article, written as part of a symposium on "The State of the Federal Income Tax: Rates, Progressivity, and Budget Processes," discusses the legal issues raised by data presented by economists Drs. William Gale and Peter Orszag. It proposes the adoption of pay-go procedural rules for tax lawmaking that favor tax cuts that decrease income inequality, in response to biases in distributional tables and distortions in the political process. It suggests that the failure to use present value analysis in the budget process has had unfortunate, unintended consequences for progressivity, in particular, in encouraging a Congressional preference for a prepaid consumption tax. It argues that efforts to index the AMT should not deflect attention from the AMT's most fundamental distributional problem - its failure to treat dividends and capital gains as preference items. It considers possible institutional advantages in global sunsets of important tax legislation, even when the legislation is not intended to expire. In addition, this article considers the intersection of budget processes and progressivity in the tax expenditure budget. It argues that the Administration's recent changes in the treatment of the corporate tax and its incomplete analysis of comprehensive tax bases, undermine the usefulness of the tax expenditure budget, and have made tax expenditures suddenly appear more progressive, even though they are not. This part of the article was previously published as What is Happening to the Tax Expenditure Budget? 104 TAX NOTES 763 (2004).
Cell Migration along the Basement Membrane during Wound Repair. The Corneal Endothelium as a Model System

The vertebrate corneal endothelium serves as a model system for investigating the role of cell migration during wound repair along the natural basement membrane. As a tissue monolayer, the cells reside on their basement membrane, Descemet’s membrane, which serves to modify many cellular behaviors during the injury-induced migratory response. Because the tissue is not directly dependent on either blood or nerve supplies, it is readily amendable to organ culture, where it can be easily maintained and experiments performed on the cells in situ. In addition, results obtained from work using tissue cultured corneal endothelial cells have augmented our understanding of the various pathways that are used for triggering cell movement during in vitro wound repair. The initiation of a migratory response during wound repair involves a multitude of various cellular mechanisms and structural changes that result in the activation of several biochemical pathways and modifications to cell shape as well as the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. These changes provide a means for the endothelial cell to translocate along Descemet’s membrane into the wound region in order to permit the repopulation of the area with the eventual reestablishment of an intact and functional monolayer. Many of these biochemical and morphological alterations appear to be mediated by various growth factors such as fibroblast growth factor, epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor-beta. Various biochemical pathways are stimulated after an injury, including phospholipase C, phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase, protein kinase C, Rho, Rac, cdc42 and arachidonic acid metabolism which mediate several events during wound repair such as cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, spreading and the extension of cellular processes. In addition, despite residing on a basement membrane endothelial cells respond to injury by secreting various extracellular matrix components at the cell/basement membrane interface that aids in mediating their movement along Descemet’s membrane, which also appears to be regulated in part by protease activity. This review discusses the role of migration in corneal endothelial wound healing. How movement is modified when it occurs during in vitro as opposed to in vivo or organ cultured wound healing will also be examined as will the differences between the cellular responses to large versus small sized wounds.
WoLF Ant

Ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithms can generate quality solutions to combinatorial optimization problems. However, like many stochastic algorithms, the quality of solutions worsen as problem sizes grow. In an effort to increase performance, we added the variable step size off-policy hill-climbing algorithm called PDWoLF (Policy Dynamics Win or Learn Fast) to several ant colony algorithms: Ant System, Ant Colony System, Elitist-Ant System, Rank-based Ant System, and Max-Min Ant System. Easily integrated into each ACO algorithm, the PDWoLF component maintains a set of policies separate from the ant colony's pheromone. Similar to pheromone but with different update rules, the PDWoLF policies provide a second estimation of solution quality and guide the construction of solutions. Experiments on large traveling salesman problems (TSPs) show that incorporating PDWoLF with the aforementioned ACO algorithms that do not make use of local optimizations produces shorter tours than the ACO algorithms alone.
Tolerance Testing for Cooked Porridge made from a Sorghum Based Fortified Blended Food.

Products that will be prepared by consumers must be tolerant to various cooking procedures that those consumers may use. Fortified blended foods (FBFs) are used as a source of nutrition for disaster or famine relief in developing countries. Many FBFs are served as porridge and may have a wide of solids content, cooking times and variations in added ingredients. Sorghum is being examined as a potential alternative to wheat and corn based FBF products. This study was intended to evaluate the tolerance to preparation variations for porridge made as a FBF intended for food aid. Whole Sorghum Soy Blend (WSSB), a fortified, extruded, ground cooked cereal was selected as the FBF for this study. Descriptive sensory analysis and Bostwick flow rate measurements were performed to evaluate the tolerance of porridge products made from variations in ingredients and cooking procedures. The results showed that most sensory properties were only marginally affected although some expected large differences in a few sensory properties were found when solids content varied (that is, thickness, adhesiveness) or fruit (banana flavor) was added. Moreover, Bostwick flow rate was a reasonable indicator of thickness characteristics of porridges in some cases, but not in others. Tolerance testing showed that the sensory properties of WSSB had high tolerance to variations in cooking procedures, which means that the product can be modified during preparation by consumers without having a major impact on most sensory properties other than ones they intended to change such as thickness, sweetness, or fruit flavor. Practical Application The results from this study showed that porridge products from whole sorghum soy blend had high sensory tolerance to preparation variations. Thus, this product can be used by diverse people in diverse conditions.
Introduction to: 'Human Thought and Social Organization: Anthropology on a New Plane'

Human beings have two outstanding characteristics compared to all other species: the apparently enormous elaboration of our thought through language and symbolism and the elaboration of our forms of social organization. The view taken in Human Thought and Social Organization: Anthropology on a New Plane is that these are intimately interconnected. To understand this connection, the book compares the structure of the systems of thought that organizations are built upon with the organizational basis of human thinking as such. An experimental method is used, leading to a new science of the structure of human social organizations in two senses. First, it gives rise to a new kind of ethnology that has the combination of empirical solidity and formal analytical rigor associated with the “paradigmatic” sciences. Second, it makes evident that social organizations have distinctive properties and require distinctive explanations of a sort that cannot be reduced to the explanations drawn from, or grounded in, these other sciences. Human social organizations are created by people using systems of ideas with very specific logical properties. This book describes what these idea-systems are with an unbroken chain of analysis that begins with field elicitation and continues by working out their most fundamental, logico-mathematical generative elements. This enables us to see precisely how these idea systems are used to generate organizations that give pattern to ongoing behavior. The book shows how organizations are objectified by community members through symbolic representations that provide them with shared conceptions of organizations, roles, or relations that they see each other as participating in. The case for this constructive process being pan-Homo sapiens is described, spanning all human communities from the Upper Paleolithic to today, and from the most seemingly primitive Australian tribes to modern-day America and India. While focusing primarily on kinship, Human Thought and Social Organization shows how the analysis applies with equal precision to other social areas ranging from farming to political factionalism.
Application of a Spaceflight Contributing Factor Map for Definition and Assessment of Spacecraft Design Requirements

Identifying and understanding design requirements of a spacecraft intended for human occupancy is a complex undertaking that is driven by functional and performance needs of both the vehicle and the crew that operates it. This paper discusses an application intended to aid in establishing and validating design requirements based on a taxonomy of factors that have an influence on human performance in space. This set of factors, which spans human physiological, human psychological, vehicle design and operational conditions, is displayed on what has been named a Contributing Factor Map (CFM). The CFM can be used as a roadmap for determining which performance-influencing factors are adequately addressed in existing requirements, and which require additional data to better characterize their impact. Characterizing the factors in the CFM in terms of information such as the acceptable or unacceptable states the factors may be in supports the relation of existing human performance knowledge to design requirements. This work extends Human Reliability Analysis concepts originally developed for application in the Safety and Mission Assurance domain into approaches supporting the development of design and operational requirements.
Expression of CD24 (BA-1) Predicts Monocytic Lineage in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Fifty-seven cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which had been subtyped by French-American-British morphologic and cytochemical criteria as myeloid (M1, M2) or monocytic (M4, M5), were retrieved from the files of the Division of Hematopathology, University of Iowa. Corresponding immunophenotyping data were reviewed with attention to the expression of CD14 (MY4) and CD24 (BA-1). Of 20 cases expressing CD24, 19 were M4 or M5, whereas all 14 cases expressing CD14 were of monocyte lineage. Therefore, CD14 was a highly specific (100%) but only moderately sensitive (58%) marker for distinguishing classes M1 or M2 from M4 or M5. By contrast and unexpectedly, CD24 was nearly as specific (97%), but more sensitive (79%) in marking M4 or M5 cells. This appears to be true even though CD24 is apparently not expressed on normal monocytes. When positive staining for either or both antibodies (CD24 or CD14) was considered indicative of a monocytic leukemia, the sensitivity of immunophenotyping in distinguishing M4/M5 from M1/M2 AML rose to 92%, while maintaining 97% specificity. The authors discuss a recent observation that may help explain the unexpected expression of CD24 in monocytic AML. They conclude that the usefulness of CD24 in identifying monocytic AML may exceed that of CD14, and that the use of CD24 and CD14 in combination improves the ability of flow cytometry to distinguish myeloid from monocytic acute leukemias.
Social Structure and Emotion

This paper explores the possibility of developing a general and formal social-action theory of labeling emotions. The theory is based upon the assumption that there is an underlying formal structural social- action system of expectations and sanctions that significantly influence how actors label their emotions. Some permutations of the four basic expectation-sanction states are elaborated, hypothetically labeled, and tested over a 14-year period. The "constructionist" view of the necessity of a cultural context in labeling emotions is challenged by removing the "moral" content from the survey instrument. The findings indicate that the formal model, devoid of content, is effective in differentiating emotion labels. The tests yielded promising results for developing a comprehensive and formal mapping of emotions. Taxonomical extrapolations of the theory are suggested and some further applications and needed research are dis- cussed.
Pyogenic Liver Abscess Involving Actinomyces: Case Report and Review

We report a case of isolated hepatic actinomycosis and review 35 previously reported cases. Three-fourths of the reported patients were male, and more than one-half were between 30 and 50 years of age. Although some patients had oral disease or intraabdominal infections, the majority of cases were cryptogenic. Common presenting symptoms included fever, abdominal pain, and anorexia with weight loss. Findings on physical examination included pyrexia, abdominal tenderness, and hepatomegaly. Leukocytosis with a left shift, anemia, an elevated serum erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and an elevated level of alkaline phosphatase were almost universally present. Diagnosis was frequently made at the time of exploratory laparotomy, but percutaneous diagnostic procedures obviated the need for surgery in many recent cases. Microbiological diagnosis involved visualization of branching gram-positive Actinomyces organisms or recovery of organisms in anaerobic culture. Treatment most commonly consisted of prolonged administration of penicillin or tetracycline and was associated with an excellent outcome in the majority of cases.
Model Building of Workpiece in the Enviroment of Emulation Machining by Numeric Controlling

The model exchanging idea which taking the IGES criterion as neutral file was presented to identify the model entity of the different workpiece in the enviroment of virtual machining. Through moulding the 3-d workpiece by use of the CAD software and designing the preprocessor and postprocessor, the IGES file was created. And then the IGES file was read and the workpiece model was created in the enviroment of virtual machining, finally the model of the workpiece was built in a new environment. By the exchange of the material workpiece, the validity of the correlative theory is validated and one innovative design method is given to build the model of workpiece in the enviroment of virtual machining.
Tunica Vaginalis Free Graft for the Correction of Chordee

AbstractTunica vaginalis free grafts were used to correct severe chordee not amenable to other surgical maneuvers in 11 boys. Postoperatively, the penis was straight in 10 patients and had some degree of downward angulation in 1 boy. The tunica vaginalis free graft seems to be a useful technique for the correction of severe chordee.
MONEY, KEYNESIANISM, AND MONETARISM

This chapter highlights Keynesianism and Monetarism. The shift toward monetarism is useful to outline what defines monetarist and Keynesian. Keynesian beliefs center on the role of spending, especially investment and government spending, as the major determinant of output. Money plays a decidedly secondary or transmission role in aggregate demand. Government policy, especially taxes and spending, Keynesians believe, is an effective counter-cyclical tool to stabilize the economy. Behavior of the aggregate price level or inflation is decidedly secondary in Keynesian models in which the determination of output is of primary importance. Monetarism makes much more modest claims about the determinants of output changes. Major movements in money cause depressions and booms, but minor cycles are caused mainly by non-monetary, largely unpredictable, and most importantly, uncontrollable factors. Fiscal policy, especially taxes, has negligible impact on output. Monetarists feel that the price level is determined, especially in the long run, primarily by monetary movements. Most monetarists believe that the best route towards economic stabilization is a constant rate of growth of the money supply and counter-cyclical monetary policy should be discouraged.
Food-Related Headaches

The literature relating to food and headache is reviewed by an authority on migraine, Dr Clifford Rose of the London Neurological Centre, London, UK.
Pediatric Brain: Normal Variations in Development, Maturation, and Myelination

This chapter focuses on neonates, infants, adolescents, and to a lesser degree, teenagers. With the advent of 3T MRI, norms for development and maturation of white matter structures have changed and evolved somewhat. Though it is critical to note the appropriate signal intensities within myelinating and maturing structures in the neonate and within the first 2 years of life, the focus is largely on T2-weight imaging (T2WI) in infants and young children when assessing normal development; fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) is less useful. For example, in neonates, T1-bright signal within the basal ganglia can be a source of consternation and may or may not be abnormal, depending on location, degree, and signal intensity relative to adjacent structures. Additionally, in young children, juveniles, and adolescents, knowledge of normal terminal zones of myelination is necessary to distinguish normal maturation from true pathology. It is also important to mention that CT has been used with decreasing frequency in children (particularly neonates and infants) over the past 10 years, as the lifetime risk of developing malignancy due to the radiation dose increases with decreasing age. Although newer, lower-dose protocols that implement iterative reconstruction have improved the dose profile, it is important to be aware of the cumulative risk of CT over time to children, particularly those with neoplasm or malignancies, who are expected to undergo multiple future CT-based studies. Thus, MRI is increasingly becoming the method of initially diagnosing and following most chronic disorders or neoplasms in children, until positron emission tomography (PET)-MRI becomes routinely available.
Daehr: A Discriminant Analysis Framework for Electronic Health Record Data and an Application to Early Detection of Mental Health Disorders

Electronic health records (EHR) provide a rich source of temporal data that present a unique opportunity to characterize disease patterns and risk of imminent disease. While many data-mining tools have been adopted for EHR-based disease early detection, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is one of the most commonly used statistical methods. However, it is difficult to train an accurate LDA model for early disease diagnosis when too few patients are known to have the target disease. Furthermore, EHR data are heterogeneous with significant noise. In such cases, the covariance matrices used in LDA are usually singular and estimated with a large variance. This article presents Daehr, an extension of the LDA framework using electronic health record data to address these issues. Beyond existing LDA analyzers, we propose Daehr to (1) eliminate the data noise caused by the manual encoding of EHR data and (2) lower the variance of parameter (covariance matrices) estimation for LDA models when only a few patients’ EHR are available for training. To achieve these two goals, we designed an iterative algorithm to improve the covariance matrix estimation with embedded data-noise/parameter-variance reduction for LDA. We evaluated Daehr extensively using the College Health Surveillance Network, a large, real-world EHR dataset. Specifically, our experiments compared the performance of LDA to three baselines (i.e., LDA and its derivatives) in identifying college students at high risk for mental health disorders from 23 U.S. universities. Experimental results demonstrate Daehr significantly outperforms the three baselines by achieving 1.4%--19.4% higher accuracy and a 7.5%--43.5% higher F1-score.
A Local Derivative Pattern Based Image Forensic Framework for Seam Carving Detection

Seam carving is one of the most popular image scaling algorithms which can effectively manipulate the image size while preserving the important image content. In this paper, we present a local derivative pattern (LDP) based forensic framework to detect if a digital image has been processed by seam carving or not. Each image is firstly encoded by applying four LDP encoders. Afterward, 96-D features are extracted from the encoded LDP images, and the support vector machine (SVM) classifier with linear kernel is utilized. The experimental results thus obtained have demonstrated that the proposed framework outperforms the state of the art. Specifically, the proposed scheme has achieved 73%, 88% and 97% average detection accuracies in detecting the low carving rate cases, i.e., 5%, 10% and 20%, respectively; while the prior state-of-the-arts has achieved 66%, 75% and 87% average detection accuracy on these cases.
The Nonpalpable Testis: A Narrative Review

Purpose: While the nonpalpable testis represents a small portion of all cryptorchid testes, it remains a clinical challenge for pediatric urologists. Controversy exists surrounding the best evaluation and management of this entity. In this review we update what is known about the nonpalpable testis, including the etiology, preoperative evaluation and best surgical management as well as novel techniques and ongoing controversies.Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed® and MEDLINE® from January 2000 to January 2017 using relevant key terms. Of 367 articles 115 were considered for inclusion based on a priori design. Using a narrative review format, an update on the evaluation and management of the nonpalpable testis including novel concepts and techniques was synthesized.Results: The nonpalpable testis should be evaluated by physical examination only. Imaging is not indicated for routine cases. The optimal surgical approach and technique remain debatable but several novel techniques have been described. D...
Side-Scrolling Games

In this chapter, you will create a side-scrolling action game called Plane Dodger, shown in Figure 7-1, inspired by modern smartphone games such as Flappy Bird and Jetpack Joyride. Along the way, you will create an endless scrolling background effect, simulate gravity using acceleration settings, and implement a difficulty ramp that increases the challenge difficulty as time passes.
Solving the Ladder Problem on the Back of an Envelope

(2007). Solving the Ladder Problem on the Back of an Envelope. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 80, No. 3, pp. 163-182.
Formation and Cleavage of C–C Bonds by Enzymatic Oxidation–Reduction Reactions

Many oxidation–reduction (redox) enzymes, particularly oxygenases, have roles in reactions that make and break C–C bonds. The list includes cytochrome P450 and other heme-based monooxygenases, heme-based dioxygenases, nonheme iron mono- and dioxygenases, flavoproteins, radical S-adenosylmethionine enzymes, copper enzymes, and peroxidases. Reactions involve steroids, intermediary metabolism, secondary natural products, drugs, and industrial and agricultural chemicals. Many C–C bonds are formed via either (i) coupling of diradicals or (ii) generation of unstable products that rearrange. C–C cleavage reactions involve several themes: (i) rearrangement of unstable oxidized products produced by the enzymes, (ii) oxidation and collapse of radicals or cations via rearrangement, (iii) oxygenation to yield products that are readily hydrolyzed by other enzymes, and (iv) activation of O2 in systems in which the binding of a substrate facilitates O2 activation. Many of the enzymes involve metals, but of these, iron i...
Practical Plastic Surgery: Techniques for the Reconstructive Urologist

The success of any reconstructive surgeon is dependent on the tools in his or her armamentarium. Since the urethra consists of specialized tissue, advanced techniques are often required to provide an optimal outcome. In repairing the urethra, the goal is to create a watertight, mucosalized conduit. Reconstruction of the urethra can be guided by the reconstructive ladder which proposes an organized approach to wound repair, beginning with the simplest approach and progressively becoming more complex. While some reconstructive techniques are not widely used in urologic surgery, an understanding of their indications and principles is important in the repair of highly complex urethral defects.
Association between hospital volume, treatment patterns and overall survival (OS) of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC).

e16118Background: IHCC is a rare cancer with poor OS. The purpose of this study is to determine the association between the number of patients with IHCC treated annually at a treatment facility (vo...
Optimizing the Information- Theoretic Partitioning of Simultaneous Transmit and Receive Phased Arrays

Phased array technology has progressed towards fully digital architectures over recent years. This has significantly increased the agility of phased arrays, which in turn has created a need to determine how to optimally configure these arrays for dynamic missions. Previous work on assigning signals to antennas in phased arrays has focused on minimizing measures of the sidelobes in the beam patterns produced by thinning or interleaving the array using genetic algorithms (GAs). This work explores a novel application of the GA to optimize the resolution of a narrowband imaging array with respect to the transmit/receive antenna partition when considering self-interference in a simultaneous-transmit-and-receive operation. The results demonstrate the GA's effectiveness at finding optimal or near-optimal array partitions without exhaustively exploring the impractically large search space.
The Fundamental Relations between Geometric Programming Duality, Parametric Programming Duality, and Ordinary Lagrangian Duality

Every formulation of mathematical programming duality (known to the author) for continuous finite-dimensional optimization can easily be viewed as a special case of at least one of the following three formulations: the geometric programming formulation (of the generalized geometric programming type), the parametric programming formulation (of the generalized Rockafellar-perturbation type), and the ordinary Lagrangian formulation (of the generalized Falk type). The relative strengths and weaknesses of these three duality formulations are described herein, as are the fundamental relations between them. As a theoretical application, the basic duality between Fenchel's hypothesis and the existence of recession directions in convex programming is established and then expressed within each of these three duality formulations
An extremely durable redox shuttle additive for overcharge protection of lithium-ion batteries

Abstract Redox shuttle additives dissolved in the electrolyte of lithium-ion batteries provide cells with intrinsic protection against overcharge, which can induce hazardous consequences such as thermal runaway. Aromatic hydrocarbons in general, and 1,4-dimethoxybenzene (DMB) in particular, are a key family of organic redox shuttle materials, but the limited solubility (
Dynamics and molecular interactions of single-stranded DNA in nucleic acid biosensors with varied surface properties

Electrochemical DNA biosensors utilizing self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with inserted DNA probes are promising biosensor designs because of their ease of preparation, miniaturization, and tunability. However, much is still unknown about the interactions between biomolecules such as DNA and various surfaces. A fundamental question regarding these sensors concerns the nature of diffusion of target molecules taking place on sensor surfaces and whether it speeds up the molecular recognition process. Lack of understanding of molecular interaction and surface diffusion in addition to questions regarding the behavior of DNA probes immobilized on these surfaces currently limits the rational design of nucleic acid biosensors. Using all-atom unbiased molecular dynamics (MD) simulations we found that single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) behavior on SAMs is drastically altered by different surface chemistries, with ssDNA adopting very different orientations upon adsorption and surface diffusivity varying over an order of magnitude. Probe behavior varies equally broadly as probes are considerably more stable in certain SAMs than others, which affects the accessibility of probes to the target molecules and likely changes DNA hybridization kinetics in multiple ways. We also found that nearby probes can alter each other's orientations substantially, which highlights the importance of surface density control. Our results elucidate nucleic acid biosensor dynamics vital to rational design and offer insights that can aid in the design of surface properties and patterning for specific applications.
Predicting extended hospital stay after deep brain stimulation surgery in Parkinson's patients.

Abstract Background The goal of deep brain stimulation (DBS) is to achieve maximal benefit for the patient while minimizing the likelihood of adverse effects. Currently, no standardized criteria exist that predicts extended hospital stay in DBS patients, although careful patient selection is recognized as a very important step for successful DBS therapy. Objectives and Methods The objective of this study was to identify eight key factors that predicted extended post-operative hospital stay following DBS lead implantation, in an effort to better identify patients that would require minimal hospital stay, resulting in reduced cost and reduced exposure to hospital- related problems. Univariate logistic regression models were used to examine associations between each factor and patients’ post-surgical outcomes. Results Using data collected from 183 patients, we found that 53 patients required a hospital stay longer than two days within one month post-procedure. Those who were 70 years or older and those who had frequent falls were significantly more likely to require extended post-surgical care. Patients that scored three points or higher on our eight-factor assessment scale had a greater likelihood of experiencing an event that would require an extended hospital stay following DBS lead placement, regardless of what three factors were present. Conclusions Any PD patient who is 70 years or older, incurring frequent falls, or with more than three points on our scale, should be carefully screened and cautioned about likely prolonged recovery and extended post-operative hospital stay.
Soybean Canopy Coverage, Population, and Yield Responses to Seed Treatment and Cultivar Resistance to Phytophthora sojae in Nebraska

Integrating disease control strategies has been the foundation for effective management of Phytophthora stem and root rot (PSRR; caused by Phytophthora sojae) in soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.). T...
High Frequency Ventilation and Risk of Hyperventilation in the Very and Extremely Low Birth Weight Neonate during Interfacility Transport

Purpose Our pediatric/neonatal critical care transport team provides high frequency ventilation (HFV) during interfacility transport utilizing the Bronchotron or TXP-2D (Percussionaire Corp., Sagle Idaho). Preliminary review of Very and Extremely Low Birth Weight (VLBW/ELBW) neonates who received HFV and were transported by our team revealed frequent episodes of hypocarbia (pCO2 < 35 mmHg). The objective of this study was to identify potential risk factors for hyperventilation in VLBW/ELBW neonates receiving HFV on transport. Methods A retrospective cohort of neonates …
LiSi3As6 and Li2SiAs2 with flexible SiAs2 polyanions: synthesis, structure, bonding, and ionic conductivity

Two novel ternary phases, LiSi3As6 and Li2SiAs2, have been synthesized and characterized. Both phases have an identical Si : As ratio of 1 : 2 providing insight on how layers of the parent phase SiAs2 accommodate excess electrons from Li cations to form Si–As anionic frameworks. LiSi3As6 exhibits a variety of bonding schemes involving Si–Si and As–As bonds, as well as corner-sharing SiAs4 tetrahedra, while Li2SiAs2 is isostructural to the previously reported Li2SiP2, with adamantane-like Si4As10 units connected into 3D framework. LiSi3As6 and Li2SiAs2 are predicted to be indirect semiconductors which was experimentally confirmed by optical properties characterization. Li2SiAs2 exhibits low thermal conductivity of 1.20 W m−1 K−1 at 300 K in combination with a room temperature ionic conductivity of 7 × 10−6 S cm−1, an order of magnitude greater than that of the phosphide and nitride analogues, indicating its potential as a solid-state Li-ion conductor.
Quantitative assessment of proprioceptive dysfunction in cancer survivors post oxaliplatin-containing chemotherapy.

e24071Background: Oxaliplatin (OX) is commonly used for gastrointestinal cancers but can cause chronic neurotoxicity with long-term motor impairments (e.g. dexterity loss, poor balance, and falls)....
Family rehabilitation nursing care for autistic children with social communication obstacle

Objective To explore the effect of family rehabilitation nursing care for autistic children with social communication obstacle. Methods 78 children with autism were divided into a family group and a reference group. The family group were intervened with family nursing care, including guiding the children doing some body language, such as making fists, waving hands, clapping hands, etc. and managing expressions; and training their language attention, expression ability, and understanding ability; the children spent their time on the floor tegethor; the interactive platform of family care was built. The reference group's daily activities, learning ability, self-care ability, linguistic communication, problem behaviors, sensory integration, mental state, daily diet were intervened to culture their social communication ability and correct their social communication obstacles. Results The scores of PEP and C-WISC were higher and the scores of ABC were lower in the family group than in the reference group (all P <0.05). PEP scores: the scores of sensory reaction, interest in the outside world, and emotion and relationship were (8.44 ± 1.26), (6.78 ± 1.16), and (5.91 ± 1.09) in the family group and were (5.79 ± 1.14), (4.05 ± 0.08), and (3.78 ± 0.06) in the reference group. C-WISC scores: The scores of VAQ, PAQ, and IFQ were (82.75 ± 3.02), (75.01 ± 8.56), and (88.46 ± 2.17) in the family group and were (74.21 ± 4.91), (70.24 ± 2.86), and (82.74 ± 5.03) in the reference group. ABC scores: the scores of making friends, self-care, language, body movement, and feeling were (8.67 ± 0.35), (13.21 ± 0.05), (9.27 ± 0.53), (10.09 ± 0.47), and (12.01 ± 3.71) in the family group and were (13.06 ± 1.22), (16.99 ± 0.74), (12.13 ± 0.61), (15.64 ± 1.32), and (16.89 ± 4.51) in the reference group. Conclusion Family care can improve the intervention effect of autistic social communication disorder. Key words: Family; Social interaction; Autism
Learning ecologies in online language learning social networks: a netnographic study of EFL learners using italki

This netnographic study explored EFL learning ecologies in language learning social network platforms by exploring the experience and perceptions of international non-traditional learners of EFL utilising the italki platform. Analysis of italki tools and two in-depth interviews revealed that the learners were self-disciplined and proactive in this informal learning environment and they felt positive about the platform itself. In italki individual EFL learners were able to personalise their learning ecologies utilising its affordances to satisfy their learning needs, interests, and curiosity in the absence of formal instructional materials. The findings suggest that integration of online language learning platforms such as italki in foreign language education could provide positive pedagogical changes that empower learners to cultivate personal ecologies for lifelong and lifewide adult learning.
Deep Neural Network based Wide-Area Event Classification in Power Systems.

This paper presents a wide-area event classification in transmission power grids. The deep neural network (DNN) based classifier is developed based on the availability of data from time-synchronized phasor measurement units (PMUs). The proposed DNN is trained using Bayesian optimization to search for the best hyperparameters. The effectiveness of the proposed event classification is validated through the real-world dataset of the U.S. transmission grids. This dataset includes line outage, transformer outage, frequency event, and oscillation events. The validation process also includes different PMU outputs, such as voltage magnitude, angle, current magnitude, frequency, and rate of change of frequency (ROCOF). The simulation results show that ROCOF as input feature gives the best classification performance. In addition, it is shown that the classifier trained with higher sampling rate PMUs and a larger dataset has higher accuracy.