cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Collaborative Multimedia Source-Protocol Coordination: A Cross-Layer QoE Study in Modern Wireless Networks

Multiple image/video source neighbors in modern wireless systems such as device-to-device (D2D) networks can significantly improve multimedia quality of experience (QoE) in content sharing. However, the exploration of multisource diversity in multimedia communications has largely been overlooked in the past. In this paper, we propose a new scheme to improve user equipment's (UE) multimedia QoE by optimizing the source traffic dispatching and resource allocation strategies from multiple UE sources in cross-layer wireless D2D networks while assuring the latency constraint. This approach results in two major contributions. First, the proposed approach optimally controls the source server traffic for each multimedia packet with regard to distortion reduction (e.g., quality contribution) and the channel conditions. Second, optimal packet retry limits are adjusted on each direct D2D communication link to achieve effective but unequal resource allocation. Simulation results show that the cross-layer collaborative source-level traffic control and protocol-level resource optimization strategy improve D2D multimedia transmission quality.
A New Method of Screening Transgenic Animal: PCR and Its Products Sequencing.

The primary detection of the MLC 2 chymase fusion gene transgenic mice was carried out by means of polymerase chain reaction(PCR) with two specific primers, which span across MLC2 promoter region and chymase structure gene region. The DNA electrophoretic bands of PCR products were recovered and purified , then sequenced by PCR sequencing method with one of the two primers. Final determination of the transgenic mice was conducted through comparing the sequencing results with sequences of transfered gene. This method is convenient, effective and specific.
The Adverse Effects of Sperm During Vasovasostomy

AbstractThe 119 non-splinted vasovasostomies that were performed on 95 rats demonstrated that sperm granulomas were present in 99 per cent of the 49 anastomoses that failed. Anastomoses performed on vasa that contained no sperm resulted in 95 per cent patency without granulomas. This procedure was accomplished in immature animals followed to adulthood or by testosterone suppression of spermatogenesis in adult rats. Alternatively, normal adults with sperm in the vasa were irrigated with normal saline at the time of vasovasostomy and this resulted in decreased numbers of granuloma and dramatically improved success rates. Sperm granuloma formation appears to be an important cause of failure of vasovasostomy in the rat.
Investigation of serum creatine kinase variability after muscle- damaging exercise

1. The present study examined if the presence of creatine kinase (CK) inhibitors might explain the large variability in blood levels of CK among subjects after exercise-induced muscle damage. 2. Twenty-four women performed an eccentric exercise with the forearm flexors and were then classified as no CK responders, low CK responders and high CK responders. High CK responders repeated the exercise two weeks later (bout two). 3. Sera from high CK responders were mixed with sera from no CK responders or low CK responders. Also, serum from high CK responders obtained after bout one was mixed with the same subject's serum from after bout two. 4. In all cases, the differences between the expected and observed CK activity for the mixes were within the expected variability for the assay. 5. Although CK inhibitors have been previously observed in sera from patients with muscle injury or disease, we were unable to demonstrate the presence of CK inhibitors in the sera from subjects who showed evidence of exercise-induced muscle damage.
Anterior disc excision and interbody spinal fusion for chronic low back pain.

Summary A follow-up study of the first 100 patients treated at Duke University Medical Center by anterior lumbar disc excision and interbody fusion with autogenous bone indicates that this operative procedure is useful in the management of patients with mechanical back pain with or without radiculopathy. The procedure does not replace posterolateral arthrodesis or posterior root decompression. The anterior approach is used when the patients have had prior posterior low back surgery without relief of radiculopathy or in those who have developed pseudarthrosis posteriorly. Anterior discectomy and fusion provide a successful method for the treatment of patients who continue to have back pain after hemilaminectomy and who show no evidence of mechanical root compression. The technique requires special attention, and the indications for the procedure require special consideration.
A Method for Manipulating Blood Glucose and Measuring Resulting Changes in Cognitive Accessibility of Target Stimuli

Much research in social psychology has investigated the impact of bodily energy need on cognition and decision-making. As such, blood glucose, the body's primary energy source, has been of special interest to researchers for years. Fluctuations in blood glucose have been linked to a variety of changes in cognitive and behavioral processes, such as self-control, political attitudes, and eating behavior. To help meet growing interest in the links between bodily energy need and these processes, this manuscript offers a simple methodology to experimentally manipulate blood glucose using a fasting procedure followed by administration of a sugar-sweetened, unsweetened, or artificially-sweetened beverage. This is followed by presentation of a method for measuring resulting changes in implicit cognition using a lexical decision-task. In this task, participants are asked to identify whether strings of letters are words or non-words and response latencies are recorded. Sample results from a recent publication are presented as an example of the applications for the experimental manipulation of blood glucose and the lexical decision task measures.
LU, QR, and Cholesky factorizations: Programming model, performance analysis and optimization techniques for the Intel Knights Landing Xeon Phi

A wide variety of heterogeneous compute resources, ranging from multicore CPUs to GPUs and coprocessors, are available to modern computers, making it challenging to design unified numerical libraries that efficiently and productively use all these varied resources. For example, in order to efficiently use Intel's Knights Landing (KNL) processor, the next-generation of Xeon Phi architectures, one must design and schedule an application in multiple degrees of parallelism and task grain sizes in order to obtain efficient performance. We propose a productive and portable programming model that allows us to write a serial-looking code, which, however, achieves parallelism and scalability by using a lightweight runtime environment to manage the resource-specific workload, and to control the dataflow and the parallel execution. This is done through multiple techniques ranging from multi-level data partitioning to adaptive task grain sizes, and dynamic task scheduling. In addition, our task abstractions enable unified algorithmic development across all the heterogeneous resources. Finally, we outline the strengths and the effectiveness of this approach - especially in regards to hardware trends and ease of programming high-performance numerical software that current applications need - in order to motivate current work and future directions for the next generation of parallel programming models for high-performance linear algebra libraries on heterogeneous systems.
Keynote Address: 15th International Thermal Conductivity Conference

As we come together for the 15th Thermal Conductivity Conference to continue what has now become an established tradition, it is not inappropriate to remind ourselves of what brings us together and what we hope to gain from these conferences.
Derrida/Searle: Deconstruction and Ordinary Language

In this pocket-size book of big and controversial ideas, the author Raoul Moati introduces and argues a critical debate between two distinguished philosophers at the verge of the twenty-first centu...
Romantische Staatsphilosophie: Glauben und Liebe

Kaum waren die Bluthenstaub-Fragmante an die Offentlichkeit gelangt, als sich Friedrich von Hardenberg am 11. Mai 1798 an Friedrich Schlegel mit der Bitte um die baldige Veroffentlichung eines weiteren Manuskripts unter dem Namen »Novalis« wandte (IV, 253). Gemeint war die staatsutopische Schrift Glauben und Liebe oder Der Konig und die Konigin, mit der Hardenberg den erst seit dem 16. November 1797 in Preusen regierenden Friedrich Wilhelm III. (1770–1840) zur Ubernahme republikanischer Regierungsprinzipien bringen wollte. Bereits Ende Mai konnte Schlegel seinem Freund berichten, dass der Text in den neugegrundeten Jahrbuchern der preusischen Monarchie gedruckt werden sollte; allerdings musse er aus Platzgrunden in drei Teilen in den nachsten drei monatlichen Folgen erscheinen (IV, 493).
Efficiently mapping structure–property relationships of gas adsorption in porous materials: application to Xe adsorption

Designing better porous materials for gas storage or separations applications frequently leverages known structure–property relationships. Reliable structure–property relationships, however, only reveal themselves when adsorption data on many porous materials are aggregated and compared. Gathering enough data experimentally is prohibitively time consuming, and even approaches based on large-scale computer simulations face challenges. Brute force computational screening approaches that do not efficiently sample the space of porous materials may be ineffective when the number of possible materials is too large. Here we describe a general and efficient computational method for mapping structure–property spaces of porous materials that can be useful for adsorption related applications. We describe an algorithm that generates random porous “pseudomaterials”, for which we calculate structural characteristics (e.g., surface area, pore size and void fraction) and also gas adsorption properties via molecular simulations. Here we chose to focus on void fraction and Xe adsorption at 1 bar, 5 bar, and 10 bar. The algorithm then identifies pseudomaterials with rare combinations of void fraction and Xe adsorption and mutates them to generate new pseudomaterials, thereby selectively adding data only to those parts of the structure–property map that are the least explored. Use of this method can help guide the design of new porous materials for gas storage and separations applications in the future.
Application of lean six sigma to improve service in healthcare facilities management: a case study

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to present a case study on the application of the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) quality improvement methodology to facilities management (FM) services at a healthcare o...
Tumor cerebri: Metastatic renal cell carcinoma with dural venous sinus compression leading to intracranial hypertension; a case report.

BACKGROUND Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC), also known as idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), is a condition associated with increased intracranial pressure (ICP) in the absence of radiographic findings such as mass lesions or cerebral edema. CASE DESCRIPTION We describe a case of progressive headache and visual disturbances attributed to PTC that resulted from subacute superior sagittal sinus (SSS) stenosis by a metastatic tumor. CONCLUSIONS Venous outflow obstruction often presents with an acute symptomatology including infarcts, hemorrhages, and seizures, but only rarely does it cause the progressive development of raised ICP. The sinister presentation of our patient's pathology stemmed from local mass effect caused by a tumor that has hitherto not been reported to cause intracranial hypertension (IH) and was best elucidated using magnetic resonance venography (MRV).
Adaptive Dynamic Programming for Human Postural Balance Control

This paper provides a basis for studying human postural balance control about upright stance using adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) theory. Previous models of human sensorimotor control rely on a priori knowledge of system dynamics. Here, we provide an alternative framework based on the ADP theory. The main advantage of this new framework is that the system model is no longer required, and an adaptive optimal controller is obtained directly from input and state data. We apply this theory to simulate human balance behavior, and the obtained results are consistent with the experiment data presented in the past literature.
Clinical Research Nursing: A New Domain of Practice

Abstract This chapter will describe the roles and contributions of nurses in the clinical research enterprise and will define the emerging specialty practice domain of clinical research nursing. The broad scope of practice settings in which nurses may engage in the care of participants in clinical research will be described, as will the legal and ethical issues related to nursing practice in clinical research. Tools and resources that principal investigators and research project managers can use when incorporating nurses on a clinical research team will be presented based on work from the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center and from collaborators in the National Clinical and Translational Science Award consortium and the International Association of Clinical Research Nurses.
The Respiratory Rate: A Neglected Triage Tool for Pre-hospital Identification of Trauma Patients.

Under-triaged trauma patients have worse clinical outcomes. We evaluated the capability of four pre-hospital variables to identify this population at the lowest level trauma activation (level 3). A retrospective review of adult trauma activations from 2004 to 2014 was completed. Pre-hospital vital signs and Glasgow Coma Scale were converted to categorical variables. Patients were under-triaged based on meeting current level 1 or 2 criteria, or requiring a pre-defined critical intervention. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between the pre-hospital variables and under-triaged patients. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for a comprehensive model, grouping all causes of under-triage as a single unit, and 16 individual models, one for each under-triage criterion. A new level 2 criterion was generated and internally validated. In total, 12,332 activations occurred during the study period. Four hundred and sixty-six (5.9%) patients were under-triaged. Compared to patients with a normal respiratory rate (RR), tachypneic patients were more likely to be under-triaged for any reason, OR 1.7 [1.3–2.1], p < 0.001. In the individual event analysis, tachypneic patients were more likely to have flail chest, OR 22 [2.9–168.3], p = 0.003; require a chest tube, OR 3 [1.8–4.9], p < 0.001; or require emergent intubation, OR 1.6 [1.1–2.8], p = 0.04, compared to patients with a normal RR. The data-driven triage modification was tachypnea with suspected thoracic injury which reduced the under-triage rate by 1.2%. Tachypnea with suspected thoracic injury is the strongest level 2 triage modification to reduce level 3 under-triage.
Resource Advantage Theory, Service Dominant Logic, and Healthcare Consumer Experiences: An Abstract

Resource advantage theory (RAT) and service-dominant logic (SDL) both endorse the use of operant resources and service skills as a means to formulate, create, and maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace (Hunt, 2002; 2004; Vargo & Lusch, 2004). Healthcare administrators wishing to deliver operant resources must first have an understanding of the attributes that lead to satisfaction in the healthcare context in which they compete. Higher-order constructs such as measuring satisfaction, value, empathy, and sacrifice sensitivity in healthcare are in stark contrast to most satisfaction surveys in healthcare which instead focus solely on patient perceptions of room cleanliness, courtesy of staff, taste of food, and perception of attentiveness to needs (Joiner & Lusch, 2016). While these need to be present in a healthcare context, what is missing is the operant resources that could lead to satisfaction such as value, empathy, and sacrifice. This research seeks to investigate this gap by using SEM to test relationships between satisfaction, value, empathy, and sacrifice in clinical and hospital settings.
3D Printed Auxetic Mechanical Metamaterial with Chiral Cells and Re-entrant Cores

By combining the two basic deformation mechanisms for auxetic open-cell metamaterials, re-entrant angle and chirality, new hybrid chiral mechanical metamaterials are designed and fabricated via a multi-material 3D printer. Results from mechanical experiments on the 3D printed prototypes and systematic Finite Element (FE) simulations show that the new designs can achieve subsequential cell-opening mechanism under a very large range of overall strains (2.91%-52.6%). Also, the effective stiffness, the Poisson's ratio and the cell-opening rate of the new designs can be tuned in a wide range by tailoring the two independent geometric parameters: the cell size ratio [Formula: see text], and re-entrant angle θ. As an example application, a sequential particle release mechanism of the new designs was also systematically explored. This mechanism has potential application in drug delivery. The present new design concepts can be used to develop new multi-functional smart composites, sensors and/or actuators which are responsive to external load and/or environmental conditions.
Implementation of Portfolios as a Programmatic Global Assessment Measure in Dental Education.

Studies of assessment have shown that three elements—multiple assessments, over time, with multiple evaluators—provide the best strategy for global assessment of student competence in a valid and reliable manner, while experts on competency-based education (CBE) have defined the use of portfolios for assessment as a best practice for CBE. The aim of this article is to describe the five-year experience of one U.S. dental school’s implementation of portfolio assessment of student competence as a programmatic global assessment strategy and to share the lessons learned. From approval by the Curriculum Committee to the first graduating class’s portfolios, the steps and lessons learned along the way are described, in hopes of providing guidance to other schools interested in adopting portfolios for global assessment. This assessment strategy required the collaboration of a broad range of administrators, faculty, and students, as well as a high degree of faculty and student development. Calibration of the summative evaluators resulted in an interrater reliability estimate of 0.81. An important lesson learned was that development of reflective writing was underestimated, resulting in initial failure of 12 (11%) of the portfolios for the Class of 2017. Dental schools interested in adoption of portfolios should expect to invest time in the preparation of faculty and students. However, the result of this investment will be an assessment measure considered a best practice in both the assessment and competency literature.
Heat Transfer and Helium Replenishment in Cabled Conductor Cooling Channels

In the design of the superconducting conductor for the Large Coil Program (LCP) test coil, which is a large magnet cooled by pool boiling in liquid helium and operated with its bore axis horizontal, it is necessary to know the heat transfer capabilities of the conductor as a function of orientation (i.e., location along the coil perimeter) in the hydrodynamic environment of the magnet winding. In addition to conductor orientation, the conductor configuration and winding ventilation might be expected to affect the rate of removal of Joule heat from the stabilizer. This rate is important in the event of an incident which drives the conductor normal because the rate must be high enough to permit the conductor to recover to its superconducting condition. Early research by others [1–6] suggested that allowable heat fluxes for recovery from a normalcy in a horizontally oriented conductor surface region of the magnet winding may be half or less of those of vertically oriented regions.
High electrical conductivity and carrier mobility in oCVD PEDOT thin films by engineered crystallization and acid treatment

Air-stable, lightweight, and electrically conductive polymers are highly desired as the electrodes for next-generation electronic devices. However, the low electrical conductivity and low carrier mobility of polymers are the key bottlenecks that limit their adoption. We demonstrate that the key to addressing these limitations is to molecularly engineer the crystallization and morphology of polymers. We use oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) and hydrobromic acid treatment as an effective tool to achieve such engineering for conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). We demonstrate PEDOT thin films with a record-high electrical conductivity of 6259 S/cm and a remarkably high carrier mobility of 18.45 cm2 V−1 s−1 by inducing a crystallite-configuration transition using oCVD. Subsequent theoretical modeling reveals a metallic nature and an effective reduction of the carrier transport energy barrier between crystallized domains in these thin films. To validate this metallic nature, we successfully fabricate PEDOT-Si Schottky diode arrays operating at 13.56 MHz for radio frequency identification (RFID) readers, demonstrating wafer-scale fabrication compatible with conventional complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The oCVD PEDOT thin films with ultrahigh electrical conductivity and high carrier mobility show great promise for novel high-speed organic electronics with low energy consumption and better charge carrier transport.
Cryptic binding sites become accessible through surface reconstruction of the type I collagen fibril.

Collagen fibril interactions with cells and macromolecules in the extracellular matrix drive numerous cellular functions. Binding motifs for dozens of collagen-binding proteins have been determined on fully exposed collagen triple helical monomers. However, when the monomers are assembled into the functional collagen fibril, many binding motifs become inaccessible, and yet critical cellular processes occur. Here, we have developed an early stage atomic model of the smallest repeating unit of the type I collagen fibril at the fibril surface that provides a novel framework to address questions about these functionally necessary yet seemingly obstructed interactions. We use an integrative approach by combining molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments and show that reconstruction of the collagen monomers within the complex fibril play a critical role in collagen interactions. In particular, the fibril surface shows three major conformational changes, which allow cryptic binding sites, including an integrin motif involved in platelet aggregation, to be exposed. The observed dynamics and reconstruction of the fibril surface promote its role as a “smart fibril” to keep certain binding sites cryptic, and to allow accessibility of recognition domains when appropriate.
Effect of iron fortification on microstructural, textural, and sensory characteristics of caprine milk Cheddar cheeses under different storage treatments.

ABSTRACT In this study, we manufactured 3 types of caprine milk Cheddar cheese: a control cheese (unfortified) and 2 iron-fortified cheeses, one of which used regular ferrous sulfate (RFS) and the other used large microencapsulated ferrous sulfate (LMFS). We then compared the iron recovery rates and the microstructural, textural, and sensory properties of the 3 cheeses under different storage conditions (temperature and duration). Compositional analysis included fat, protein, ash, and moisture contents. The RFS (FeSO4·7H2O) and LMFS (with 700- to 800-μm large particle ferrous sulfate encapsulated in nonhydrogenated vegetable fat) were added to cheese curds after whey draining and were thoroughly mixed before hooping and pressing the cheese. Three batches of each type of goat cheese were stored at 2 temperatures (4°C and −18°C) for 0, 2, and 4 mo. We analyzed the microstructure of cheese using scanning electron microscopy and image analysis software. A sensory panel (n = 8) evaluated flavors and overall acceptability of cheeses using a 10-point intensity score. Results showed that the control, RFS, and LMFS cheeses contained 0.0162, 0.822, and 0.932 mg of Fe/g of cheese, respectively, with substantially higher iron levels in both fortified cheeses. The iron recovery rates of RFS and LMFS were 71.9 and 73.5%, respectively. Protein, fat, and ash contents (%) of RFS and LMFS cheeses were higher than those of the control. Scanning electron microscopy analyses revealed that LMFS cheese contained smaller and more elongated sharp-edged iron particles, whereas RFS cheese had larger-perimeter rectangular iron crystals. Iron-fortified cheeses generally had higher hardness and gumminess scores than the control cheese. The higher hardness in iron-fortified cheeses compared with the control may be attributed to proteolysis of the protein matrix and its binding with iron crystals during storage. Control cheese had higher sensory scores than the 2 iron-fortified cheeses, and LMFS cheese had the lowest scores for all tested sensory properties.
Evaluation of ice-stream model sensitivities for parameter estimation

Abstract Large-ensemble perturbed-parameter forward ice-flow modeling can provide useful insights to uncertainties in inversions for basal drag or other ice-flow parameters. Inversion and data assimilation provide estimates of poorly known parameters that are essential for accurate prognostic modeling. Because ice flow depends on many such parameters with their associated uncertainties, which may interact in nonlinear ways, full uncertainty assessment for parameter estimates is challenging. With rising computational power, it is increasingly practicable to explore co-dependencies and sensitivities. Here, we use a well-characterized higher-order flowline model configured for a well-lubricated (“shelfy”) ice stream to run large ensembles, perturbing the magnitude and spatial pattern of basal drag, basal topography, and input flux. We find for steady state that ice-stream velocity and thickness along the entire domain are especially correlated to drag at the downstream end, but with greater local correlation during transients. The modeled effects of basal topographic perturbations on velocity and ice thickness are primarily local. Perturbations of input ice fluxes interact with the others in interesting ways. These insights point to the value of inversions informed by concentrated observations during forced transients such as lake-drainage events, accumulation-rate fluctuations or ice-shelf losses, and to the care needed when interpreting local results of some inversions for basal-drag parameters.
Azathioprine dosing and metabolite measurement in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease: does one size fit all?

Background Azathioprine is widely used for the maintenance of remission in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Measuring thiopurine metabolites 6-thioguanine (6-TGN) and 6-methyl-mercaptopurine (6-MMP) can aid in optimizing treatment and preventing toxicity. We report a proactive approach combining early metabolite measurements with IBD activity index to achieve optimal azathioprine dosing. Methods The reporting of azathioprine dosing, IBD activity indexes and thiopurine metabolites was evaluated retrospectively in 40 children with IBD. Additional treatments and the effect of azathioprine on blood counts were also examined. Results Forty children (40% female) with IBD (26 Crohn's disease, 12 ulcerative colitis, and 2 unclassified IBD), mean age 12.2±3.4 years, were included in the study. The mean azathioprine dose was 1.3±0.4 mg/kg; mean 6-TGN level was 280±151 pmol/8 × 108 red blood cells (RBC) and mean 6-MMP level 1022±1007 pmol/8 × 108 RBC. Disease activity index (Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, pediatric specific) at the time of metabolite measurement was 6.5±8. Twenty-eight children did not require azathioprine dose adjustment, while it was increased in 12. Data from children with azathioprine monotherapy were analyzed separately and the results were similar. Conclusion Timely measurement of thiopurine metabolites and clinical assessment can provide a powerful tool to optimize azathioprine dosing and reduce serious adverse effects in children with IBD.
Evaluation of Modeled Precipitation in Oceanic Extratropical Cyclones Using IMERG

ABSTRACTUsing a high-spatial- and high-temporal-resolution precipitation dataset, Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG), extratropical cyclone precipitation is evaluated in two rean...
Thermal bowing of concrete sandwich panels with flexible shear connectors

Abstract Thermal bowing, often referred to as bulging or out-of-plane wall deflection, is a common issue in sandwich panel walls caused by a temperature differential between a building's interior temperature and the outside environment. This paper aims to better understand the thermal load response of concrete sandwich wall panels. Fundamental mechanics related to thermal bowing are developed and presented when using standard flexible shear connectors. A relatively simple set of equations are then presented for use in design and verified using full-scale models. Finite element analyses are also performed and compared to the developed sandwich beam theory. This study concludes that current design practices used for solid panels provide an inaccurate prediction of the bowing value because of the nature of force and deformation variations on panels subjected to thermal gradients. The concrete stresses, shear connector forces, and panel deformations result in a non-linear relationship with geometric properties and a linear one with properties of concrete and thermal force.
Retirement Lock and Prescription Drug Insurance: Evidence from Medicare Part D

I examine whether lack of an individual market for prescription drug insurance causes individuals to delay retirement. Exploiting the 2006 introduction of Medicare Part D, which subsidized drug insurance for Americans over age 65, I use a triple-differences design that compares labor outcomes of individuals with retiree health insurance up to age 65 to those with insurance for life, before and after age 65, before and after 2006. I find that those with benefits only to age 65 decreased full-time work by 8.4 percentage points, of which 70 percent was due to transitions to part-time work.
Subcutaneous desmoplastic small round-cell tumor: An unusual primary location expanding the differential of superficial round-cell tumors

Desmoplastic small round-cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare, aggressive malignant tumor, which in the great majority of cases arises at abdominal-pelvic sites. Nevertheless, rare cases of primary extra-abdominal tumors have been reported. In challenging cases, its molecular hallmark, the EWSR1-WT1 reciprocal translocation, can be exploited diagnostically by various molecular techniques. Herein, we report an extremely rare case of primary subcutaneous DSRCT in an effort to raise awareness among our dermatopathology colleagues by expanding the differential of superficial round-cell tumors.
Evaluating Changes in Immune Function and Bone Microenvironment During Radium-223 Treatment of Patients with Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

The effects of radium-223 on the immune system and the bone tumor microenvironment are incompletely understood. The authors describe mechanisms by which radium-223 may interact with the immune system, specifically through STAT-3 and impact on tumor and circulating lymphocyte populations. They review mechanisms through which effects of radium-223 and androgen-targeted therapy on bone microenvironment could be better elucidated. These knowledge gaps currently limit development of optimal combination therapy approaches for radium-223. Tissue based studies are currently underway in a prospective clinical trial to enhance therapeutic perspective on radium-223 treatment in the prostate cancer landscape.
Health plan responses to covid-19

The health insurance industry is responding to COVID-19 by paying for testing and treatment, and working with providers to assure that coverage for proper care is available. Many people are losing employment and potentially health insurance coverage, shifting the responsibility for payment among private sector and government payers. The unbudgeted costs of COVID-19 care will be substantial. At the same time, providers are postponing routine care and treatments that are not time-sensitive, reducing or deferring similarly substantial sums. The balance of payments is uncertain, though likely to favor health plans in the short run. Keywords: COVID-19, health insurance, finance
Japanese Texas: On the Border of Belonging

Texans of Japanese descent represent a significantly smaller population than those belonging to other Asian ethnic groups; even so, they have a unique origin story that continues to leave a mark on Texas’s transnational history, culture, economy, politics, and natural environments. For this reason, the stories of Japanese Texans merit far greater critical and cultural attention than they receive. Drawing on news reports, editorials, and propaganda prose from the first two decades of the twentieth century, this essay aims to amend parts of this lacuna by contextualizing Japanese Texan settlement as a singular mission-oriented project—an effort to magnify the region’s rice cash-crop industry. From an economic perspective, local and US officials initially encouraged this venture; however, the nativist paranoias and prejudices of white America short-circuited its potential. Because many Japanese migrants came to Texas via Mexico, the US-Mexico border played a considerable role in crafting anti-Japanese sentiment, not only in Texas but throughout the nation. Thus, section one of this essay situates the history of Japanese Texan settlement within the context of a “border security” discourse. Section two examines and synthesizes selected interviews with Texans of Japanese descent conducted by the Houston Asian American Archive (HAAA) at Rice University. These personal narratives provide a bridge between the incredible origin story of Japanese Texans and legacies of accomplishment and contribution to a state and a nation that for more than half a century withheld the protections and privileges of full belonging.
Surgical Management of Cervical Non-seminomatous Germ Cell Tumor Metastases.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS Testicular cancer is the most common malignancy of young males. Limited reports describe perioperative and long-term outcomes after surgical resection of metastatic, cervical, non-seminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCT). The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of cervical lymphadenectomy in the management of metastatic NSGCT. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective case series. METHODS A single institution, retrospective review from 1998 to 2020 of patients with metastatic NSGCT who underwent cervical lymphadenectomy was conducted. Clinicopathological, surgical, and postoperative data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS Sixty-eight predominantly white (91.0%) male patients with mean age 33.0 ± 11.3 years were included. Most (82.2%) presented with stage III disease at initial diagnosis. All patients had undergone primary platinum-based chemotherapy 1.0 to 22.7 months prior to selective ND. Surgery mainly involved nodal levels III (67.6%), IV (92.6%) and/or Vb (77.9%) and was frequently performed with concomitant thoracoabdominal NSGCT resections (63.2%). Cervical specimens predominantly revealed mature teratoma (83.8%) as solitary (69.1%) or component of mixed (14.7%) NSGCT. Ten (14.7%) perioperative complications occurred as vocal cord paresis (n = 6) from thoracic surgery and chyle leakage (n = 4). All resolved conservatively except two vocal cord paralyzes that required surgical repair due to tumor involvement of vagus nerve. Six instances of cervical recurrence occurred at median 12.5 (range, 5.8-38.6) months from ND, all re-demonstrating purely mature teratoma. The two-year cervical, non-cervical, and overall recurrence-free survivals were 83%, 55%, and 55%, respectively. Two-year disease-free and overall survivals were both 93%. CONCLUSIONS Selective neck dissection is a safe, effective method for managing cervical NSGCT metastases. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 131:1528-1534, 2021.
Trends and outcomes of chronic coronary total occlusion-related ventricular tachyarrhythmias.

Our study aims to establish trends and frequencies of ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VTA) among patients with chronic coronary total occlusion (CCTO). We identified CCTO hospitalizations with and without VTA using the National Inpatient Sample. A total of 911,579 CCTO-related hospitalizations were identified, with 92,450 (10.1%) encounters associated with VTA. The CCTO-VTA cohort showed higher all-cause mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.45, P < 0.001), longer hospital stays (6.8 vs 4.6 days; P < 0.001), and higher hospital charges ($117,382 vs $75,419; P < 0.001) compared to the CCTO non-VTA group. Rates and odds of cardiogenic shock (aOR = 4.19), venous thromboembolism (aOR = 2.09), respiratory failure (aOR = 2.85), and requirement of mechanical ventilation (aOR = 4.23) were higher in the CCTO-VTA group (P < 0.001). Over time, there was an increase in VTA (9.2% in 2010 to 12.1% in 2014) and all-cause mortality (7.5% in 2010 to 12.4% in 2014; P < 0.001). Trends in VTA among patients with CCTO increased by 4.8% for undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention and by 2.5% for undergoing both percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting (P < 0.001). Occurrence of VTA among CCTO patients is associated with worse outcomes and higher resource utilization.
Discovery and characterization of benzyloxy piperidine based dopamine 4 receptor antagonists

Abstract: The dopamine receptor 4 (D4R) is highly expressed in both motor, associative and limbic subdivisions of the coritico-basal ganglia network. Due to the distribution in the brain, there is mounting evidence pointing to a role for the D4R in the modulation of this network and its subsequent involvement in L-DOPA induced dyskinesias in Parkinson’s disease. As part of our continued effort in the discovery of novel D4R antagonists, we report the discovery and characterization of a new 3- or 4-benzyloxypiperidine scaffold as D4R antagonists. We report several D4R selective compounds (>30-fold vs. other dopamine receptor subtypes) with improved in vitro and in vivo stability over previously reported D4R antagonists.
Nine Year Report on Proplast Coated Metallic Prostheses for Condyle Replacement

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a nine-year report on proplast-coated metallic prostheses for condyle replacement. In the study discussed in the chapter, at least 109 proplast-coated metallic condyles were placed for diagnoses—ranging from ankylosis to aseptic necrosis of the mandibular condyle. The application of the proplast-coated metallic condyle was successful in 87.3% of cases that required functional temporomandibular joint reconstruction. However, the proplast-coated metallic condyles were not placed in children or adolescents whose growth potential had not been fully realized. The reasons for this were twofold: (1) the anatomy of the ramus and temporomandibular articulation prohibit the use of the implant in its present size, and (2) the transplanted bone/cartilage composite grafts have a place in condylar reconstruction because of their ability to respond to a dynamic growth situation by resorption, apposition, and remodelling. The rheumatoid arthritis is a challenging problem, to which the solution involves a total temporomandibular joint reconstruction by incorporating the use of the proplast-coated metallic condyle along with a custom glenoid fossa implant.
Finite Element Analysis for Nonlinear Elastic Systems

Chapter 3 presents theoretical and numerical formulations of nonlinear elastic materials. Since nonlinear elastic material normally experience a large deformation, Sect. 3.2 discusses stress and strain measures under large deformation. Section 3.3 shows two different formulations in representing large deformation problems: total Lagrangian and updated Lagrangian. In particular, it is shown that these two formulations are mathematically identical but different in computer implementation and interpreting material behaviors. Critical load analysis is introduced in Sect. 3.4, followed by hyperelastic materials in Sect. 3.5. Different ways of representing incompressibility of elastic materials are discussed. The continuum form of the nonlinear variational equation is discretized in Sect. 3.6, followed by a MATLAB code for a hyperelastic material model in Sect. 3.7. Section 3.8 summarizes the usage of commercial finite element analysis programs to solve nonlinear elastic problems, particularly for hyperelastic materials. In hyperelastic materials, it is important to identify material parameters. Section 9 presents curve-fitting methods to identify hyperelastic material parameters using test data.
Chapter 74 Insertional Mutagenesis and Isolation of Tagged Genes in Chlamydomonas

Publisher Summary Recently, the popularity of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii for molecular characterization of cellular mechanisms has greatly increased because of the development of DNA insertional mutagenesis for tagging and cloning genes. The success of this approach derives from the development of techniques for efficient introduction of DNA into Chlamydomonas cells and the almost random integration of the transforming DNA into nonhomologous sites in the nuclear genome. Using this new approach, a large number of mutants with defects in different cellular processes such as cell motility, phototaxis, chloroplast RNA splicing, sulfur and acetate metabolism, nitrogen assimilation, mating, and cell division have been identified. Moreover, this approach has proven to be particularly useful for isolating genes involved in flagellar function and assembly. There are many advantages to using transforming DNA to disrupt genes in Chlamydomonas . First, integration of the transforming DNA into the nuclear genome appears to be effective in producing random mutations. Second, gene tagging efficiency is very high. Third, with some precautions in generating mutants, the copy number of the integrated plasmid can be kept low so that many of the tagged genes can readily be cloned. Fourth, cloned fragments from mutants of interest can readily be placed on the molecular map of the Chlamydomonas genome, so that insertional mutations can be mapped without the extensive strain construction and crosses required for standard genetic mapping.
Drawing Paul Revere as a Klansman

This study investigates the function of an argument structure that appears in visual rhetoric, a function that I name anachronistic arguments for legitimacy. The exemplar image is a 1926 illustration that shows Paul Revere as a Klansman. I argue that this image appropriates the legitimacy of the Colonial revolutionaries to advance the political agenda of the 1920s Klan. Longfellow's poem about Revere's ride and contemporaneous Klan literature connects this illustration in its literary and historical contexts. The theoretical conceptualization of a-historical images is furthered by Agamben's discussion of time images. Finally, this essay considers the role of anachronistic arguments in the development of American identities.
Ergodic components of an extension by a nilmanifold

We describe the structure of the ergodic decomposition of an extension of an ergodic system by a nilmanifold. If G is a compact group and V a subgroup of G, then, under the (left) action of V , G splits into a disjoint union of isomorphic “orbits”: if H is the closure of V in G, then the right cosets Ha, a 2 G, are minimal closed V -invariant subsets of G, and the action of V on each of these sets is ergodic (with respect to the Haar measure). If X is a compact homogeneous space of a locally compact group G and V is a subgroup of G, then the structure of orbits of the action of V on X may be much more complicated. However, if G is a nilpotent Lie group and X is, respectively, a compact nilmanifold, then the orbit structure on X is almost as simple as in the case of a compact G: Theorem 1. Let X be a compact nilmanifold and let V be a group of translations of X. Then X is a disjoint union of closed V -invariant (not necessarily isomorphic) subnilmanifolds, on each of which the action of V is minimal and ergodic with respect to the Haar
THE AUTOMATED ASSAY OF COMPLETE ENZYME REACTION RATES. I. METHODS AND RESULTS.

Abstract A combination unit consisting of a Gilford model 2000 multiple sample absorbance recorder, a Beckman DU monochromator with thermostated chamber, and a Technicon large sampler and proportioning pump is described. The unit is capable of assaying a large number of enzyme rates completely automatically using known spectrophotometric methods or slight modifications thereof. The automated assays of histidase, threonine dehydrase, and glucokinase-hexokinase, employing the unit, are described in detail.
A new methodology for power-aware transistor sizing: free power recovery (FPR)

In this paper we present a new transistor sizing methodology called Free Power Recovery (FPR) for low power circuit design. The objective of this methodology is to minimize the total power of a circuit by accounting for node switching activities and leakage duty cycles (LDC). The methodology has been incorporated into the EinsTuner circuit tuning tool. EinsTuner automates the tuning process using state-of-the-art non-linear optimization solvers and fast circuit simulators. Node switching activities and LDC are integrated into the EinsTuner framework as parameter inputs to the FPR tuning mode. In FPR mode, the power is minimized using gate width reduction with respect to power properties of the node. The FPR methodology is evaluated on next generation microprocessor circuit designs. Power reduction results are compared with the results from the existing EinsTuner tuning methodology. The results show improvement in power reduction with the FPR optimization mode.
Advanced III-V materials processing in the vacuum of space

GaAs films, both silicon doped and undoped, have been deposited by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in an ultra vacuum environment created by the Wake Shield Facility (WSF). The WSF is a 12 foot diameter stainless steel disk that sweeps out a volume of space thus creating an ultra vacuum in its wake. It was developed specifically to take advantage of the ultra vacuum for the deposition of thin film materials. The WSF was flown for the first time on STS-60 in February, 1994. The mission objectives were to measure the unique wake vacuum environment formed by the Wake Shield, and to epitaxially deposit GaAs thin films. In this paper we describe the films deposited and report on the characterization performed to date. Films were deposited in two basic structures. The first structure consisted of undoped GaAs films of thicknesses ranging from 2 to 4 /spl mu/m with a thin (/spl ap/200 mn) highly silicon doped layer (n/spl ap/5/spl times/10/sup 17//cc) on top. This is basically a metal-semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET) structure. The second structure was a lightly silicon doped GaAs film (n/spl ap/5/spl times/10/sup 15//cc). We have obtained Photoluminescence (PL), Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) and X-Ray diffraction data on selected films. The data indicate nominal quality single crystal films with oxygen and carbon contamination. The source of the contamination and further characterization are discussed.
Spectroscopic properties of organic photoconductors: Part IV. Tetraphenylporphine

Abstract Absorption, specular reflection, and action spectra for photoconduction of solid films of tetraphenylporphine are presented. The strong, sharp Soret band is greatly broadened in the crystal by resonance force interactions, while weak transitions are not affected. Light absorbed in any of these bands can serve to excite photoconduction.