cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urocortin 3 Marks Mature Human Primary and Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Pancreatic Alpha and Beta Cells

The peptide hormone Urocortin 3 (Ucn 3) is abundantly and exclusively expressed in mouse pancreatic beta cells where it regulates insulin secretion. Here we demonstrate that Ucn 3 first appears at embryonic day (E) 17.5 and, from approximately postnatal day (p) 7 and onwards throughout adult life, becomes a unifying and exclusive feature of mouse beta cells. These observations identify Ucn 3 as a potential beta cell maturation marker. To determine whether Ucn 3 is similarly restricted to beta cells in humans, we conducted comprehensive immunohistochemistry and gene expression experiments on macaque and human pancreas and sorted primary human islet cells. This revealed that Ucn 3 is not restricted to the beta cell lineage in primates, but is also expressed in alpha cells. To substantiate these findings, we analyzed human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived pancreatic endoderm that differentiates into mature endocrine cells upon engraftment in mice. Ucn 3 expression in hESC-derived grafts increased robustly upon differentiation into mature endocrine cells and localized to both alpha and beta cells. Collectively, these observations confirm that Ucn 3 is expressed in adult beta cells in both mouse and human and appears late in beta cell differentiation. Expression of Pdx1, Nkx6.1 and PC1/3 in hESC-derived Ucn 3+ beta cells supports this. However, the expression of Ucn 3 in primary and hESC-derived alpha cells demonstrates that human Ucn 3 is not exclusive to the beta cell lineage but is a general marker for both the alpha and beta cell lineages. Ucn 3+ hESC-derived alpha cells do not express Nkx6.1, Pdx1 or PC1/3 in agreement with the presence of a separate population of Ucn 3+ alpha cells. Our study highlights important species differences in Ucn 3 expression, which have implications for its utility as a marker to identify mature beta cells in (re)programming strategies.
Evaluation of a Pharmacist-Directed Vancomycin Dosing and Monitoring Pilot Program at a Tertiary Academic Medical Center

Background: Consensus guidelines recommend vancomycin doses of 15 to 20 mg/kg every 8 to 12 hours in patients with normal renal function. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a pharmacist-directed vancomycin dosing and monitoring pilot program on the percentage of patients receiving targeted weight-based dosing recommendations. Methods: This was a pre-/postevaluation study, approved by the institutional review board at our institution, comparing retrospectively reviewed vancomycin dosing practices hospital-wide between September 1 and September 30, 2010 to patients prospectively managed by a pharmacist-directed vancomycin pilot program between February 1 and April 26, 2011. All adult inpatients receiving intravenous vancomycin were included, unless patients had a creatinine clearance less than or equal to 60 mL/min or indication for therapy was surgical prophylaxis or febrile neutropenia. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients who received optimal vancomycin dosing defined as ≥30 mg/kg/d withi...
Online variable-bit-rate video traffic smoothing

The efficient transmission of variable-bit-rate (VBR) video streams is complicated by the burstiness that video compression standards such as MPEG introduce. Most of the existing techniques concentrate on stored video traffic smoothing or real-time video traffic smoothing. However, there is a growing number of live video applications, such as video-casts of courses or television news, where many clients may be willing to tolerate a playback delay of several seconds or minutes in exchange for a smaller throughput requirement. Bandwidth smoothing for these live video applications is referred to as online smoothing. In this paper, in order to measure the effectiveness of online video smoothing methods, we propose a benchmark algorithm, which provides an upper bound on some of the performance metrics in the smoothing results. Based on this algorithm, we found that significant discrepancy exists between the results produced by the existing online smoothing methods and the upper bound. With this observation, we focus on designing algorithms that can improve the smoothing results. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithms make considerable improvements compared to existing smoothing methods.
Developmental changes in the expression of NMDA receptor subunits (NR1, NR2A, NR2B) in the cat visual cortex and the effects of dark rearing.

Abstract The present study used Western blots to determine changes in the level of expression of the three major NMDA receptor subunits, NR1, NR2A, and NR2B, in relation to the ‘critical period’ in cat visual cortex. NR2A rose dramatically (10-fold) from very low levels at 1 week to a peak at 5 weeks and gradually declined into adulthood (twofold). NR2B showed a similar time course to NR2A, but the rise from 1 to 5 weeks was of lesser magnitude (twofold). NR1 was expressed at comparable levels at 1, 5, 10 weeks and declined markedly (fivefold) in older animals. No significant effects of dark rearing on the levels of NR2B and NR1 were found. However, NR2A expression was significantly elevated in normal compared to dark reared visual cortex (twofold) at 5 weeks and significantly elevated in dark reared compared to normal visual cortex at 20 weeks (twofold). The close agreement between NR2A expression and both the time course of the critical period and the effects of dark rearing on that time course further indicates a role of this subunit in visual cortical critical period plasticity.
A case-control comparison of lingual tonsillar size in children with and without Down syndrome.

Objectives/Hypothesis: Lingual tonsillar hypertrophy is a common cause of persistent obstructive sleep apnea following adenotonsillectomy in the pediatric population and may be more prevalent in patients with Down syndrome (DS). We sought to quantify lingual tonsil size in pediatric DS patients and compare these findings to those of nonsyndromic children using cervical spine (c-spine) radiographs. Study Design: Case control study. Methods: Retrospective review of c-spine radiographs from 105 pediatric DS patients and 89 age- and gender-matched non-DS controls was conducted. Films performed for possible airway compromise or trauma were excluded. Lingual tonsil size and narrowest lumen diameter of the nasopharynx, oropharynx, and hypopharynx were measured. Results: Radiographically identifiable lingual tonsillar tissue was identified in 34% of children with DS and 30% of controls (P = .21); lingual tonsillar hypertrophy (≥10 mm) was seen in 5% and 0% respectively (P = .074). Nasopharyngeal diameter was smaller in patients with DS compared to controls (5.2 mm vs. 6.3 mm, P = .026), whereas lingual tonsil size was significantly larger in DS patients (2.1 mm vs. 0.8 mm, P = .0008). In multivariate analysis, lingual tonsil size was positively correlated with increasing age in the DS population (r = 0.38, P < .0001) but not in controls. Conclusions: Lingual tonsillar enlargement is more common in patients with DS than in controls, with an increased prevalence in older DS patients. C-spine radiographs are routinely carried out in these children and appear to be useful in identifying lingual tonsillar hypertrophy. Further trials should be carried out to compare c-spine findings and physical exam or magnetic resonance imaging to validate this method of evaluation.
Minocycline and doxycycline therapy in community patients with rheumatoid arthritis: prescribing patterns, patient-level determinants of use, and patient-reported side effects

Introduction Minocycline and doxycycline are safe and moderately effective disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in the treatment of early, DMARD-naive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), although little is known about their use outside clinical trials. We characterize the use of minocycline and doxycycline in community-dwelling RA patients by examining associated prescribing patterns, patient-level determinants of use, and side-effect profiles.
A knowledge-guided active contour method of segmentation of cerebella on MR images of pediatric patients with medulloblastoma.

Purpose: To develop an automated method for identification of the cerebella on magnetic resonance (MR) images of patients with medulloblastoma.Materials and Methods: The method used a template constructed from 10 patients' aligned MR head images, and the contour of this template was superimposed on the aligned data set of a given patient as the starting contour. The starting contour was then actively adjusted to locate the boundary of the cerebellum of the given patient. Morphologic operations were applied to the outlined volume to generate cerebellum images. The method was then applied to data sets of 20 other patients to generate cerebellum images and volumetric results.Results: Comparison of the automatically generated cerebellum images with two sets of manually traced images showed a strong correlation between the automatically and manually generated volumetric results (correlation coefficient, 0.97). The average Jaccard similarities were 0.89 and 0.88 in comparison to each of two manually traced images, respectively. The same comparisons yielded average kappa indexes of 0.94 and 0.93, respectively.Conclusion: The method was robust and accurate for cerebellum segmentation on MR images of patients with medulloblastoma. The method may be applied to investigations that require segmentation and quantitative measurement of MR images of the cerebellum.
Spectroscopic studies in protein films with highly sensitive single-mode guided-wave plataforms

In this work we report experimental results on the molar absorptivity of cytochrome c adsorbed at different submonolayer levels onto an aluminum oxide waveguide surface. The spectra was acquired using the broadband, single-mode, integrated optical waveguide spectroscopic technique, which is an extremely sensitive tool able to reach submonolayer levels of detection required for this type of studies. For a protein surface density of 2.3 pmol/cm2 the molar absorptivity measured at 695 nm was 335 M−1 cm−1, and for a surface density of 14.6 pmol/cm2 was 720 M−1 cm−1 which is much closer to the value of cyt c dissolved in an aqueous neutral buffer (830 M−1 cm−1). Our data show a clear dependence of the protein optical properties on its surface density. The modification of the protein molar absorptivity can most likely be attributed to conformational changes of the surface-adsorbed species.
Ammonia uptake and retention in some cyanobacteria

The internal pool of ammonia in strains of unicellular and filamentous cyanobacteria was found to be 6–12 nmol·mg-1 protein. In nitrate grown Anacystis nidulans R-2 the pool size averaged 12 nmol·mg-1 protein, which corresponds to 2.3 mM, and was little affected by N-source or medium pH during growth. Cells from NH 4 + -limited continuous culture contained comparable pools, and cell yield was independent of medium pH (7.2–8.5). The internal pool was not bound to macromolecules. The pool fell transiently to about one-third within 2 h on shifting cells to N-free medium, but was slowly regenerated over 24 h. Added ammonia was removed from solution by illuminated cell suspensions at a linear rate, adequate to supply biosynthetic needs, to residual concentrations less than 5 μM. An apparent K m of less than 1 μM can be inferred. Uptake rates were independent of N-source during growth, and of assay pH over the range 6.2–8.7. Bicarbonate was needed for uptake, but the rate of uptake was not influenced by the simultaneous presence of NaNO3 (10 mM) or CH3NH3Cl (0.15 mM). Uptake was energydependent, and was eliminated in dark, anaerobic conditions or by the addition of protonophores. Uptake was also strongly inhibited by dicyclohexylearbodiimide, an ATPase inhibitor, by — SH reagents and methionine sulfoximine, suggesting that interference with energy supply or with ammonia metabolism prevented further entry into the cells.
Closed-form approximations for link loss in a UWB radio system using small antennas

A critical need in the evaluation of an ultrawideband (UWB) radio system is the calculation of the energy link loss between the source at the transmit antenna and the receiver load. While the rigorous calculation of link loss in a wideband pulsed system requires a full transient electromagnetic solution for the transmit and receive antennas, we show in this paper that accurate approximations for link loss can be obtained for the special cases of electrically small dipole or loop antennas, with Gaussian or Gaussian doublet (monocycle) generator waveforms. We also consider the error involved with applying the much simpler narrowband Friis transmission formula. It is found that the use of the basic Friis formula can result in link loss errors of more than 60 dB for a UWB system having severely (impedance) mismatched antennas, but may give results correct to within a few dB for well-matched narrowband antennas, or if the formula is augmented with an impedance mismatch correction factor. It appears that the dominant limitation of the Friis formula, when applied to UWB systems, is the broadband effect of mismatch between the transmit/receive antennas and their source or load impedances. Numerical examples are presented for electrically short dipoles, resonant dipoles, and broadband lossy dipoles for both Gaussian and monocycle input pulse waveforms.
Nicholas Harold Lloyd Ridley. 10 July 1906 25 May 2001

Sir Harold Ridley invented and refined the modern miracle of replacing lenses obscured by cataracts with plastic optical lenses, thus rendering a complete cataract cure. This operation, broadly termed the cataract–intraocular lens (IOL) operation, has since brought sight to many millions of people throughout the world, and continues to improve the quality of life of more than 10 million patients worldwide each year.
Opportunities and challenges for better than worst-case design

The progressive trend of fabrication technologies towards the nanometer regime has created a number of new physical design challenges for computer architects. Design complexity, uncertainty in environmental and fabrication conditions, and single-event upsets all conspire to compromise system correctness and reliability. Recently, researchers have begun to advocate a new design strategy called Better Than Worst-Case design that couples a complex core component with a simple reliable checker mechanism. By delegating the responsibility for correctness and reliability of the design to the checker, it becomes possible to build provably correct designs that effectively address the challenges of deep submicron design. In this paper, we present the concepts of Better Than Worst-Case design and high light two exemplary designs: the DIVA checker and Razor logic. We show how this approach to system implementation relaxes design constraints on core components, which reduces the effects of physical design challenges and creates opportunities to optimize performance and power characteristics. We demonstrate the advantages of relaxed design constraints for the core components by applying typical-case optimization (TCO) techniques to an adder circuit. Finally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities posed to CAD tools in the context of Better Than Worst-Case design. In particular, we describe the additional support required for analyzing run-time characteristics of designs and the many opportunities which are created to incorporate typical-case optimizations into synthesis and verification.
Induction of Antitumor Immunity by Vaccination of Dendritic Cells Transfected with MUC1 RNA

Dendritic cells (DC) are potent APCs. In this study, murine bone marrow-derived DC were transfected with RNA encoding the MUC1 Ag that is aberrantly overexpressed in human breast and other carcinomas. The MUC1 RNA-transfected DC exhibited cell surface expression of MUC1 and costimulatory molecules. After injection at the base of the tail, the transfected DC were detectable in inguinal lymph nodes by dual immunochemical staining. Vaccination of wild-type mice with MUC1 RNA-transfected DC induced anti-MUC1 immune responses against MUC1-positive MC38/MUC1, but not MUC1-negative, tumor cells. Mice immunized with the transfected DC were protected against challenge with MC38/MUC1 tumor cells. Furthermore, mice with established MC38/MUC1 tumors were eliminated after receiving the vaccination. CTLs isolated from mice immunized with the transfected DC exhibited specific cytolytic activity against MC38/MUC1 tumor cells. In contrast to these findings, there was little if any anti-MUC1 immunity induced with the transfected DC in MUC1 transgenic (MUC1.Tg) mice. However, coadministration of the transfected DC and IL-12 reversed the unresponsiveness to MUC1 Ag in MUC1.Tg mice and induced MUC1-specific immune responses. These findings demonstrate that vaccination of DC transfected with MUC1 RNA and IL-12 reverses tolerance to MUC1 and induces immunity against MUC1-positive tumors.
Co-owner relationships conducive to high quality joint patents

Abstract Multi-country joint ownership of a patent positively impacts patent quality, which is evidenced by their receiving statistically more forward patent citations than patents co-owned within a single country. This paper also considers the possibility that university partnerships and income differences between international co-owners further influence joint patent quality. Multi-country co-ownership in countries with similar per capita incomes enhances the likelihood a joint patent is high quality in the short run, when quality is assessed as forward citations received within three years. However, this short run benefit disappears when differences in national patent regimes are controlled for in the analyses. Finally, although co-ownership with a university is not found to have an immediate impact, it does enhance the likelihood that a joint patent is classified as high over the life of the patent.
Ventral medullary surface activity during sleep, waking, and anesthetic states in the goat

We examined activity, measured as changes in reflected light, from the surface of a rostral ventral medullary area that is involved in cardiorespiratory control. We collected images during sleep and waking states and during halothane anesthesia in five adult unrestrained goats. During quiet sleep, overall activity increased and overall variability decreased compared with waking levels, whereas rapid eye movement sleep increased variability, and average activity decreased to near-waking levels. Distinct regions of activation and suppression appeared during sleep states. Deep anesthesia decreased activity and minimized variation. We speculate that alterations in rostral ventral medullary surface activity may play a role in state-dependent changes in cardiorespiratory control mechanisms.
The Problem of Immortality

There have been complaints that our conference was more directed towards God than towards the self although it was a Conference on the human self. This is beside the point. The planning did not include psychologists and sociologists but experts in world religions, because of the fact that Eastern Philosophers have not separated the self from ultimate reality — and it might well be that this is one thing the West can learn or rediscover in the dialogue of the world religions which has started.
Browser Wars: Microsoft Versus Netscape

Microsoft is planning the introduction of Internet Explorer along with Windows 95. Issues include how aggressive the company should be in providing its browser with Windows 95 and restricting OEMs (original-equipment manufacturers) from putting other browsers on their computers. Should Microsoft go for initial share, concentrate on stealing over time, retain customers, or enlarge the total size of the browser market? Students use a Markov process with initial states and switching probabilities to gain insight into resolving these issues.
The Individual, the State, and Ethnic Communities in Political Theory

Liberal political theory and contemporary expositions of human rights focus largely on the individual. Some liberal theorists even deny that ethnic communities and other groups, as collective entities, can have moral rights at all. The outlook is narrow and unfortunate. It reflects a preoccupation with domestic politics and a model of domestic politics that neglects the common fact of heterogeneity. It ignores widespread practices and urgent problems, for in many countries groups identified by race, language, or religion make moral claims, and their claims are sometimes conceded. It ignores the common view that nations or “peoples” have a (moral) right of self-determination, and it even leaves the state itself without justification. If theory is to give adequate guidance, its focus must be broadened. The question of group rights needs to be explored, and interrelationships between the rights of individuals, of groups, and of the state need to be clarified.
Norm inequalities of product form in weighted Lp spaces

The classical inequality ‖y′‖2≦K‖y‖ ‖y″‖ and its higher order analogues are extended from the Lp spaces to the weighted spaces, for appropriate w.
Abstract B36: Human serum albumin and affibody fusion proteins for targeted drug delivery to HER2 positive cells

Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2 (HER2) has been reported to be over-expressed in 20-30% of the breast cancer patients and related to poor prognosis. Affibody ZHER2 is a small protein which has high affinity to HER2 screened by phage display. Human Serum Albumin (HSA), as the main protein in plasma, has been commonly used to extend the small peptides serum half-life. Its high solubility, stability and excellent ability to carry multiple ligands in blood stream make it a good candidate for drug delivery. In this presentation, we report the development of albumin-affibody fusion proteins in the aim of targeted delivering chemotherapeutics to HER2 positive cells. Two HSA fusion proteins have been successfully constructed, expressed and purified, one with a single ZHER2 domain at the albumin C terminus (rHSA-ZHER2) and the other has two tandem copies of ZHER2 (rHSA-(ZHER2) 2 ). Both of the fusion proteins maintained the HER2 and fatty acid (FA) binding ability inherited respectively from the two parental proteins demonstrated by in vitro assays. Upon binding to the HER2, rHSA-ZHER2 only showed mild effect on HER2 positive SK-BR-3 cells, while rHSA-(ZHER2) 2 significantly inhibited the proliferation of SK-BR-3 cells. More interestingly, a strong activation of both MAPK and AKT signaling was observed. Our results prove the feasibility of the fusion proteins to be used as drug carriers. Currently two formulations are under investigation, one is to complex the fusion protein with FA modified chemo drugs, and the other is to make them into nanoparticles. These two proteins not only can be explored as a potential drug delivery vehicle, but also may provide us with a good molecular tool to study the HER2 signaling pathway. Citation Format: Daoyuan Dong, Zhijun Li, Zhiyu Li. Human serum albumin and affibody fusion proteins for targeted drug delivery to HER2 positive cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2015 Nov 5-9; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2015;14(12 Suppl 2):Abstract nr B36.
Role of plasmin and gelatinase in extracellular matrix degradation by cultured rat mesangial cells

We have examined the ability of mesangial cells (MCs) to degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) using cultured rat MCs grown on thin films of radiolabeled Matrigel. ECM degradation by cultured MCs was observed only in presence of exogenously added plasminogen and was a function of plasminogen concentration (0-50 mU), cell number (0-50,000 cells), and length of incubation (0-72 h). A high positive correlation (r > 0.93) was observed between ECM degradation and plasmin activity in medium, suggesting an important role for plasmin in ECM degradation by cultured MCs. This suggestion was confirmed by ability of plasmin inhibitors, alpha 2-antiplasmin (40 micrograms/ml) and aprotinin (216 kallikrein inhibition units/ml), to inhibit (> 90%) ECM degradation. Inhibitors of cysteine proteinases [trans-epoxysuccinyl-L-leucylamido(4-guanidino)butane, 10 microM] and aspartic proteinases (pepstatin, 5.0 micrograms/ml) had no effect on ECM degradation. However, in presence of plasminogen, inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases, TIMP-1 (40 micrograms/ml) and o-phenanthroline (100 microM), inhibited ECM degradation -42 +/- 4% and -43 +/- 3% (SE), respectively (n = 8-10). Thus, in addition to plasmin, a matrix metalloproteinase(s) is also involved in ECM degradation by cultured rat MCs. Zymography of culture medium obtained from MCs grown on radiolabeled Matrigel films in absence of plasminogen revealed only two closely migrating bands of gelatinase activity, relative mol wt of approximately 70,000-72,000. MCs grown in absence of plasminogen failed to degrade ECM despite presence of gelatinase in medium, indicating that, in absence of plasmin, gelatinase is present in an inactive form, either as a latent proenzyme or as a gelatinase-inhibitor complex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Calibration stability in a 1 mm 3 resolution, clinical PET system and its impact on real-time data processing and coincidence sorting

Real-time feedback of system performance, such as a non-diagonstic quality image to the operator, is important for clinical imaging where time is constrained. This task becomes more difficult in systems with large numbers of components. We are constructing a two-panel clinical PET system dedicated to imaging the breast that has 294,912 LYSO crystals read out by 4608 Position-Sensitive Avalanche Photodiodes (PSAPD). The system requires 907,776 calibration parameters to be estimated for an image to be produced. Applying stored parameters in real-time requires understanding their stability. We show that using previously stored calibration estimates causes no significant degradation of system measured energy resolution at 12.2 ± 0.1 %, with a photopeak shift of 3.6 ± 0.2 keV. Timing resolution is degraded by 0.3 ± 0.2ns to 15.0 ± 0.1 ns. Crystals are correctly identified for 93.5 % of events, with 3. 5 % of events being mispositioned within 1 mm. A singles event data structure is proposed and implemented given the measured calibration stability and used to benchmark the speed of singles calibration and coincidence sorting. We demonstrate we that we are able to process our systems output at a rate of 9.24 Mevents/s or 15.4 % slower than expected real-time. We show that this is I/O limited and that with storage upgrades we can process 16.5 % faster than expected real-time at an event rate of 12.7Mevents/s.
Effect of preform annealing on plastic anisotropy of an age-hardenable Al-Mg-Si alloy

Abstract Plastic anisotropy as characterized by the Lankford parameter ( r -value), which relates to the resistance to thinning (or deep drawability) in sheet metal forming, has been investigated for an age-hardenable Al-Mg-Si alloy under different preforming and annealing conditions. Digital image correlation analysis was applied to measure r -value accurately during tensile testing as a function of effective plastic strain. X-ray diffraction techniques were used to determine the sheet texture in order to explain the changes in r -value. It was found that r -value is not constant during this two-stage forming process, but rather depends on pre-strain path and level. Rapid annealing at high temperature without pre-straining the as-received material had little influence on r -value, whereas the application of prestrain with annealing did cause significant changes in r -value that can be explained by changes in texture. Four crystal orientations were observed in the sheet texture, i.e. the cube orientation {001}〈100〉, the S orientation {123}〈634〉, the P orientation {011}〈122〉, and the C orientation {112}〈111〉; and the changes of r -value are assessed by the relative proportion of these texture components.
Understanding privacy concerns of whatsapp users in India: poster

WhatsApp, a leading platform for mobile messaging, with the largest user base being in India, incorporates features like Last Seen, Live Location, and sharing defaults which pose privacy challenges. Our study evaluates the risk perception of WhatsApp users in India, by analyzing their perceptions on several features. We implemented a survey, querying both privacy attitudes and privacy behaviors, with 213 Indian participants. We found the majority of participants reported that they actively use the privacy controls to restrict access to their information. We close by evaluating the fit of privacy settings and suggesting additional recommendations to address the privacy concerns of Indian participants.
Simultaneous cerebrospinal fluid and hematologic metastases in a high-grade ependymoma.

Background Ependymomas are relatively uncommon tumors that constitute about 7% of all primary intracranial neoplasms. Among these, high-grade ependymomas are locally aggressive and recur most commonly at the primary site following resection. Ependymomas are also known to be the one glial neoplasm that tends to frequently metastasize inside and outside the central nervous system (CNS) that complicates workup and management. Metastasis due to surgical manipulation is common and neurosurgeons should be well-versed in the most effective methods to remove these tumors in order to avoid such metastases. Case Description Here, we report a case of a 28-year-old female who initially presented with a parenchymal World Health Organization (WHO) grade III anaplastic ependymoma of the occipital lobe without metastasis. After multiple resections, the patient showed no evidence of disease recurrence for 2 years. During follow-up, new metastasis to the frontal lobe as well as to the lung were discovered 2 years after the initial surgery, without recurrence at the tumor's primary site. Conclusions While uncommon, this case demonstrates the possibility for ependymomas to metastasize via cerebrospinal fluid to other locations within the CNS and hematologically to extraneural locations without recurring locally.
Hardware-in-the-Loop Model Validation of Charging Capacitors With Multipulse Rectifiers for High Rep-Rate Shipboard-Pulsed DC Loads

Future U.S. Navy shipboard power architectures will integrate new ac and dc rep-rate pulsed loads that must be reliably energized. Delivering power to these loads typically requires charging large capacitor banks in a highly transient manner that causes a lot of stress on the ship’s prime power sources. Controlled multipulse rectifiers have been proposed as a direct solution to charging these capacitor banks and may eliminate the need for large passive filter components. Though multipulse rectifiers are well documented in the literature, there is little to no published work that studies the impact of multipulse rectifiers have on power quality when loaded by large capacitive loads in high rep-rate profiles. It is desired that MATLAB/Simulink models be developed for deployment on the OPAL-RT real-time simulator for predicting power quality in existing ship power system models. This paper discusses the development of 6-, 12-, and 24-pulse models based on equivalent hardware at a low voltage and power rating for study. Experiments are performed on the hardware equivalent systems, and data are collected. The data are then compared with the simulation results in the time and frequency domain for model validation. Issues encountered when modeling the phase-shifting transformers are discussed, and recommendations and cautions are proposed for future work.
PALEOENVIRONMENTAL RECONSTRUCTION IN THE LOWLAND NEOTROPICS

This article explores why and how archaeologists engage in the practice of paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Case studies are provided from the lowland Neotropics, where many interesting data have been accumulated on the natural- and human-caused changes in tropical forest that occurred during the last 20 000 years. The article explains how understanding past climate and vegetation, together with human impacts on ancient landscapes, can help us to manage more effectively our present and future world.
The Looking Glass IDE for learning computer programming through storytelling and history exploration: conference workshop

Coincident with the difficulties of learning computer programming are two difficulties of teaching programming: motivating students' interest (particularly females and minorities) and helping students to learn from examples. Research suggests storytelling can be a motivating context for young women learning programming [2] and reusing code from given programs is a potential pathway for learning programming concepts [1]. The Looking Glass IDE supports both by having new programmers build interactive 3D stories and offering interfaces for exploring execution history.
Role of Endoscopy to Define Postoperative Recurrence in IBD

Despite new medical treatments for inflammatory bowel disease, surgical resection remains a cornerstone of therapy. Unfortunately, recurrence of inflammation after surgery is common in both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. After surgical resection, endoscopic evidence of inflammation recurs in the great majority of Crohn’s disease patients and its severity predicts the recurrence of symptomatic disease so that appropriate therapy can be initiated in time to prevent complications. Following total proctocolectomy and ileoanal pouch anastomosis for ulcerative colitis, inflammation can occur in the form of cuffitis, pouchitis or Crohn’s disease of the pouch. The following chapter illustrates the role of endoscopy in diagnosing and guiding management of post-surgical inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease.
Bodily Sympathy, Affect, and Victorian Sensation Fiction

This chapter reorients historical understandings of sympathy, arguing that in the Victorian period, sympathy was understood not as merely cognitive but as an affective response that was deeply embodied. It examines depictions of bodily sympathy in Victorian scientific and philosophical writing, as well as sensation fiction, a popular genre of the 1860s. Further, MacDonald argues that the Victorian writers discussed in the chapter can be aligned with recent affect theorists, who similarly displace the centrality of cognition, as well as notions of discrete personhood. The chapter ends by exploring the relationship between affect theory and the history of emotions, arguing that both can offer fruitful approaches for examining historical understandings of emotion.
Funding Engineering/Surgical Partnerships to Accelerate Commercialization of Academic Medical and Surgical Innovations: The Coulter Model for Translational Partnership between Medicine, Engineering, and Industry

Effective use of university translational research funding programs can accelerate commercialization of academic medical and surgical innovations. The goal of this commercialization will often lead to an exit or “hand-off” to a commercial entity to complete development and bring these new innovations into healthcare as regulatory approved medical devices and diagnostics. These commercial entities are either existing medical device or diagnostic companies (strategics) or startups that embark on a simultaneous effort of product development and fund raising from angel or venture capital investors. Hand-offs typically occur in the form of intellectual property licensing agreements between universities and commercial entities. Academic medical innovators have opportunities to understand the incentives for these commercial entities to invest in university-based technologies, and leverage resources within universities and translational research funding programs to tailor academic research and development plans to align with commercial entity incentives, and increase the probability of reaching successful exits. The current funding environment and returns faced by strategics and angel/Venture capital investors creates a challenging environment for creating hand-offs directly out of a university research lab. Focusing research efforts on de-risking technology is not enough in most cases. The Coulter model established through funding from the Wallace H Coulter Foundation, and the evolution of the University of Michigan Coulter Translational Research Partnership program (UM-CP) described in this chapter as an example, provides a successful blueprint for accelerating exits. This blueprint involves transitioning from a Risk Reduction approach to a New Product Planning and Development approach. This latter approach involves active engagement with the Coulter team and industry network, with early and frequent interactions with target strategics and investors. Through these efforts, academic teams can pre-identify exit plans, validate criteria for licensing, and develop funding milestones to meet these criteria and greatly improve odds of generating exits.
Reactivation of Retinopathy of Prematurity in Adults and Adolescents.

Purpose To review the clinical features, treatment outcomes, and prevalence within our clinic population of adolescents and adults with previously regressed retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) who demonstrate late-onset exudation and vasoproliferative changes. Design Retrospective review of consecutive patients at a single center. Participants Five patients (5 eyes) with a history of ROP who showed new exudates or worsening fibrovascular proliferation diagnosed after 10 years of age. Methods Patients were identified by a computerized search of the Emory Eye Center billing records. Data extracted from charts included baseline ROP information, visual acuity and other examination findings, imaging, and treatments. Main Outcome Measures Status of exudation and vasoproliferation. Results Among 138 patients older than 10 years with ROP seen at our tertiary referral center from 2000 through 2018, 5 (3.6%) demonstrated late-onset exudation or vasoproliferation. Three patients were female and 3 underwent ROP treatment as neonates. Mean age at onset of late reactivation was 25.6 years (range, 13–43 years). Previous treatments for neonatal ROP included peripheral laser ablation (n = 3), scleral buckle (n = 2), pars plicata vitrectomy (n = 2), and no treatment (n = 2). Management strategies for late reactivation included observation (n = 1), intravitreal anti–vascular endothelial growth factor agents (n = 4), vitrectomy (n = 2), and cryotherapy (n = 1). With mean follow-up of 4.8 years (range, 1–7 years), outcomes were resolution of exudation or proliferation with return to baseline vision (n = 2), stable mild exudation (n = 1), and progressive vasoproliferation with traction leading to phthisis (n = 2). Conclusions Late-onset exudation and fibrovascular proliferation in adolescents and adults with ROP can occur rarely with previously regressed ROP. Two of 5 patients were refractory to all treatments and demonstrated phthisis bulbi. One patient showed reactivation in the form of a reactive retinal astrocytic tumor. Our findings highlight the importance continued monitoring with regular fundus examination in adolescents and adults with regressed ROP.
Survey on Postponement of Benign Gynecologic Surgery during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Study Objective To assess anxiety, satisfaction with interim medical care, and changes in medical status in patients who had benign gynecologic surgery postponed due to COVID. Design Online patient survey. Setting New York City Academic Medical Center. Patients or Participants In Mid-March of 2020 there was a moratorium on elective services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In our institution, 220 patients were identified who had gynecologic surgery postponed. Of these patients, 150 patients were successfully contacted and invited to participate in the study, and 86 completed the survey. Interventions The research instrument was an online survey, which included a validated anxiety questionnaire. Measurements and Main Results Indications for surgery were fibroids (48%), abnormal bleeding (16%), ovarian mass (16%), endometriosis (12%), incontinence (8%), infertility (7%), prolapse (5%), and dysplasia (2%). On the Zung Self-Rated Anxiety Scale, 92% scored within normal range and 8% scored mild-to-moderate anxiety level. 50% of patients reported feeling more anxious about COVID exposure, 22% were more anxious about waiting for surgery, and 28% were equally anxious about both. Sentiment analysis of an open-ended question about postponement revealed 52% of responses were negative, 27% neutral, and 21% positive. Primary themes within negative responses were “frustrated” or “disappointed” about surgery cancellation. Primary themes within positive responses were “safe” or “relieved.” During the postponement, 60% of patients reported symptoms were the same, 27% worse, and 13% better. 36% of patients reported using alternative therapy while awaiting surgery, the most common being non-opioid pain medication (37%), hormonal therapy (29%), dietary changes (29%), supplements (20%), bladder training exercises (7%), pessary (2%), and pelvic floor physical therapy (2%). 80% reported access to MyChart, and 30% participated in telehealth visits, of which all reported satisfaction with the visit. Conclusion Patients with benign gynecologic surgery postponed due to COVID-19 had a negative impression of this impact on their care.
High-Precision ADC Testing With Relaxed Reference Voltage Stationarity

This article seeks to simplify the scope of on-chip built-in self-test (BIST) schemes for the static testing of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) by relaxing the precision and constancy requirements for the reference voltage of the system. The proposed testing methodology is based on appropriate modifications to the “stimulus error identification and removal (SEIR)” algorithm (Jin et al. , 2005), which already addresses the stringent linearity constraints on the input stimulus. Simulation results with the proposed algorithm are presented for a prototype 14-bit SAR ADC, wherein the nonlinearities of the input signal and the nonstationarities of the reference voltages are estimated to obtain the actual ADC performance. Once the ADC linearity is known, standard digital calibration schemes can be employed to achieve higher resolution.
Type II achalasia is associated with a comparably favorable outcome following per oral endoscopic myotomy

Per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a safe and effective treatment for esophageal motility disorder in treatment-naive patients as well as salvage therapy. Though type II achalasia, compared to other subtypes, is reported to have a more favorable outcome with pneumatic dilation (PD) or Heller myotomy (HM), it is unclear whether achalasia subtype predicts symptom response to POEM. We aimed to evaluate whether type II achalasia is associated with a comparably favorable outcome following POEM. We performed a retrospective review of patients with esophageal motility disorder who were referred for POEM from April 2014 to June 2017. The main outcome was clinical success based on Eckardt score ≤3 and its association with subtype and safety. A total of 63 patients (mean age 51 years [SD 15]; 63% male) underwent a total of 68 POEMs with median of 263 days follow-up. Of these, 45 (71.3%) patients were type II achalasia. In all, 29 (46%) patients were treatment-naive and 34 (54%) patients had previous endoscopic or surgical therapy including botulinum toxin injection in 16 (25%), PD in 10 (16%), both botulinum toxin injection and PD in 8 (13%) and HM in 3 (5%). Technical success was 100% and clinical success was achieved in 51 (81%) patients. The rate of clinical success was higher in patients with type II achalasia compared to the other subtypes (88.9% vs. 61.1% [P = 0.028]) and type II achalasia patients required fewer redo POEM (2.2% vs. 22.2% [P = 0.021]). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated the positive prediction of clinical success for type II achalasia following POEM (P = 0.046). As observed with PD and HM, type II achalasia was associated with a favorable clinical outcome following POEM.
Abstract 17100: Effects of Electronic Cigarette Solvents on Endothelial Dysfunction

Introduction: After a decade of electronic cigarettes (E-cig) in the U.S., 3 elements remain: 1) E-cigs evolve; 2) E-cigs use propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG); and, 3) uncertainty ...
Family Medicine Resident Knowledge of Adverse Childhood Experiences.

Introduction Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) has been associated with poor health in adulthood. Primary care providers can provide more appropriate medical care and intervene if they ask patients about ACEs. The purpose of this study is to determine existing knowledge and attitudes about ACEs among family medicine residents within the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI) region. Methods Researchers developed a nine-question survey to assess family medicine residents' knowledge and attitudes about ACEs, and their comfort level in addressing ACEs. The survey was distributed to 540 residents in 22 family medicine residency programs in the WWAMI region. Results Most residents reported they had some (32%) or moderate (35%) knowledge of the ACEs study. However, 30% reported no knowledge of the ACEs study, and very few (3%) reported significant knowledge. Of 117 respondents reporting at least some prior knowledge of ACEs, 42% had first heard about ACEs during residency. The ACEs topics that respondents felt least comfortable addressing during a patient encounter were a patient's personal history of sexual abuse (75%) and witnessing physical abuse (47%). Most residents (84%) indicated that they would like to see ACEs integrated into their residency curriculum. Discussion This study demonstrates a gap in residency training on the topic of ACEs in family medicine residencies within the WWAMI region. Residents are uncomfortable addressing ACEs with patients but are receptive to learning about this topic. More teaching about ACEs can increase residents' comfort level with addressing these topics in the primary care setting.
Management of Pediatric Acute Dacryocystitis

Purpose To analyze the clinical presentation, course, and management in a large cohort of pediatric acute dacryocystitis subjects and to examine whether hospitalization and urgent surgical intervention are indeed mandatory. Methods A retrospective analysis of all pediatric subjects diagnosed with dacryocystitis at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia over a 12-year period (2009-2020). Results One-hundred sixty-nine pediatric acute dacryocystitis patients were included in this study. Management included admission in 117 cases (69%). Sixty-eight patients (40%) were treated medically with no surgical intervention, 75 cases (44%) required urgent surgical intervention, and 26 additional cases (15%) required surgery due to persistent tearing symptoms after medical management. The urgent procedures included most commonly: 1) endonasal examination and microdebridement of intranasal cysts in 26 cases (35%); 2) probing and irrigation without examination and microdebridement, with or without stent intubation, in 30 cases (40%); and 3) dacryocystorhinostomy (13 endonasal and 4 external) in 17 cases (23%). Conclusions Management of pediatric acute dacryocystitis should be tailored individually for each case. Hospital admission and early surgical intervention are not mandatory, as 31% of cases resolved without admission, and 56% without early surgical intervention. Although a specific age cutoff is not plausible, hospital admission for younger patients is more commonly advocated. When surgical intervention is indicated, endonasal examination and microdebridement of any associated intranasal cyst and probing with possible stenting are the initial procedures of choice. Dacryocystorhinostomy is reserved for more complex obstructions. Although pediatric acute dacryocystitis is an infection with serious potential problems, when managed appropriately, complications are rare.