cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Microcomputer Database Application for Downloading, Storing, and Trend Reporting of CEA Data

To address long-term storage needs for selected lab analytes, we have developed patient databases on a personal computer(PC). Utilization of these databases is accomplished by directly downloading pending patient requests from a centralized lab information system (LIS) to the PC. With database programming language, patient names are extracted from downloaded text files, a lookup of prior results in the PC database is performed, and a report is generated suitable for either internal lab use or for distribution to physicians. Further linking of the database to a spreadsheet enables graphic presentation of serial patient results. Application to the generation of trending reports for carcinoembryonic antigen is described as an example. Downloading, database lookup, and graphic report production are achieved by integration of commercially available software using MS-DOS batch files that transfer suitable text files between modem / terminal emulation, database, and spreadsheet software modules. Reports are generated in a largely unattended mode with minimal technologist involvement, a feature lacking in many standalone, turnkey, trending software products. PC databases provide an effective interim solution in addressing the problems of long-term storage of clinical data, particularly in the area of tumor markers.
Lousy Language and Simple Stories

An analysis of how narrative structure and resonance with cultural scripts affect the power of arguments for and against affirmative action.
Reduced FoxO3a expression causes low autophagy in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis fibroblasts on collagen matrices.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and fatal lung disease, and fibroblasts derived from patients with IPF are resistant to type I collagen matrix-induced cell death. The alteration of...
Measurement of subcellular Ca2+ redistribution in cardiac muscle in situ: time resolved rapid freezing and electron probe microanalysis.

To directly assess the physiological roles of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and mitochondria (MT), we have utilized energy dispersive electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) on ultrathin freeze-dried cryosections from isolated papillary muscles, rapidly frozen at precise time points of the contractile cycle. Using this approach, we can detect redistribution of subcellular Ca2+ during the cardiac contractile cycle. Changes in Ca2+ of less than 1.0 mmol/kg dry wt can be detected. By determining the variability of the Ca2+ measurements in preliminary experiments, we have also demonstrated that it is possible to optimize experimental design, i.e., to predict the number of animals per treatment group and the number of X-ray spectra per animal that are required in order to detect a specified Ca2+ difference. Quantitative EPMA of rapidly frozen contracting papillary muscle has also allowed us to correlate the Ca2+ content of SR and MT with the contractile state of the muscle. Our results show a decrease of 40% in the amount of Ca2+ stored in the junctional SR during a cardiac muscle twitch, thus providing direct evidence for a role of the SR as a primary site of Ca2+ release. In addition, we have demonstrated dissociation between MT Ca2+ uptake and activation of regulatory enzymes, such as pyruvate dehydrogenase, indicating that MT Ca2+ uptake is not required for activation of MT metabolism.
Structural similarities and diversity in a series of crystalline solids composed of 2-aminopyridines and glutaric acid

A solvent co-crystallization of three 2-aminopyridine derivatives, 2-aminopyridine (AP), 2-amino-6-methylpyridine (AMP), and 2,6-diaminopyridine (DAP) with the odd-membered propane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (C5H12O4 = GAH2, glutaric acid) resulted in six ionic crystalline products, (HAP)(GAH) (1), (HAMP)(GAH) (2, 3), (HDAP)(GAH) (4), (HDAP)2(GA) (5), and (HDAP)2(DAP)(GA)(EtOH) (6, EtOH = ethanol). New compounds were characterized by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, melting points, and IR spectra. The proton transfer to the pyridine nitrogen atom in all compounds and the location of H-atom in the carboxylic group in the hydrogen glutarate anion in binary adducts 1–4 was determined reliably from the low-temperature X-ray experiments. All compounds adopt the recurring R 2 2 (8) 2-aminopyridine–carboxylic acid heteromeric supramolecular synthon. The aggregation of hydrogen glutarate anions in the C(8) chain motifs in 1–4 occurs via the homomeric COOH···COO − robust pattern. Adducts 2 and 3 represent conformational polymorphs; adducts 4, 5 and 6 reveal the diversity in the components’ forms (ionic and neutral), acid–base ratios (1:1, 1:2, and 1:3), and hydrogen-bonding systems. This work demonstrates the variety of forms of glutaric acid in the H-bonded adducts.
Cold War Film and Television in the 1950s

Hollywood in the 1950s and 1960s refracted American life through the lens of the Cold War. Ideologies became visible.1 Political and nuclear anxieties surfaced in a spate of “Red Menace” dramas, films noir, and science fiction “invasion” films, of which Ray Bradbury’s It Came from Outer Space in 1953 was a prime example. Meanwhile, television as a commercial medium emerged in the immediate post-war years, and “live” broadcast transmissions, as early as 1947, like the phenomenally popular children’s program, The Howdy Doody Show, brought reassuring “family values” into American living rooms. For an older demographic, action pictures on the nation’s drive-in movie screens got bigger, faster, and more dangerous, as far as stunt men like Richard Farnsworth were concerned … For a standard text on Hollywood in the 1950s, see Peter Biskind, Seeing is Believing (New York: Pantheon Books, 1983).
Female adolescent soccer players' perceived motivational climate, goal orientations, and mindful engagement

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine two objectives: a) a moderation effect of task orientation in the predictive relationship of ego orientation to mindful engagement, and b) the mediational role of female high school soccer players' mindful engagement in the relationship between their perceptions of a caring/task-involving climate and task orientation to their practice strategy use and ability to peak under pressure. Athletes (N = 190, Mage = 15.59) completed measures of aforementioned psychometric variables. The moderation analysis revealed that athletes' task orientation and their mindful engagement were in a positive and significant liner relationship. The final mediation model results suggest that both female high school soccer athletes' mindful engagement and practice strategy use mediate the relationship of their perceptions of a caring/task-involving climate and goal orientations to their ability to peak under pressure. Results suggest that coaches' efforts to create a caring/task-involving climate in sport may help athletes be more task oriented and mindfully engaged in their sport, and thus experience more positive outcomes.
Tweeting PP: an analysis of the 2015–2016 Planned Parenthood controversy on Twitter

Abstract Objectives We analyzed Twitter tweets and Twitter-provided user data to give geographical, temporal and content insight into the use of social media in the Planned Parenthood video controversy. Methodology We randomly sampled the full Twitter repository (also known as the Firehose) ( n =30,000) for tweets containing the phrase “planned parenthood” as well as group-defining hashtags “#defundpp” and “#standwithpp.” We used demographic content provided by the user and word analysis to generate charts, maps and timeline visualizations. Chi-square and t tests were used to compare differences in content, statistical references and dissemination strategies. Results From July 14, 2015, to January 30, 2016, 1,364,131 and 795,791 tweets contained “#defundpp” and “#standwithpp,” respectively. Geographically, #defundpp and #standwithpp were disproportionally distributed to the US South and West, respectively. Word analysis found that early tweets predominantly used “sensational” words and that the proportion of “political” and “call to action” words increased over time. Scatterplots revealed that #standwithpp tweets were clustered and episodic compared to #defundpp. #standwithpp users were more likely to be female [odds ratio (OR) 2.2, confidence interval (CI) 2.0–2.4] and have fewer followers (median 544 vs. 1578, p Conclusion Social media analysis can be used to characterize and understand the content, tempo and location of abortion-related messages in today's public spheres. Further research may inform proabortion efforts in terms of how information can be more effectively conveyed to the public. Implications This study has implications for how the medical community interfaces with the public with regards to abortion. It highlights how social media are actively exploited instruments for information and message dissemination. Researchers, providers and advocates should be monitoring social media and addressing the public through these modern channels.
Should we ‘open the kimono’ to release the results of rare autosomal aneuploidies following noninvasive prenatal whole genome sequencing?

The metaphor 'open kimono' has been applied in the business world to connote transparency via the release of all available data to an external party. Here, the author uses this term to discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of reporting on the presence of rare autosomal aneuploidies detected by massively parallel sequencing of placental cell-free DNA in the plasma of pregnant women. Newly presented data sets from multiple laboratories suggest that autosomal aneuploidies such as trisomies 7, 15, 16, 22, and 8 are easily detectable and are potentially associated with fetal growth restriction, pregnancy loss, and maternal preeclampsia. Furthermore, they may explain false positive results for the common autosomal trisomies (13, 18, and 21) as well as test failures. Thus, release of this information may result in improved clinical utility. At the present time, however, professional societies in various parts of the world differ in their recommendations as to whether or not to release expanded autosomal aneuploidy results beyond the common trisomies. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Data mining and clustering in chemical process databases for monitoring and knowledge discovery

Abstract Modern chemical plants maintain large historical databases recording past sensor measurements which advanced process monitoring techniques analyze to help plant operators and engineers interpret the meaning of live trends in databases. However, many of the best process monitoring methods require data organized into groups before training is possible. In practice, such organization rarely exists and the time required to create classified training data is an obstacle to the use of advanced process monitoring strategies. Data mining and knowledge discovery techniques drawn from computer science literature can help engineers find fault states in historical databases and group them together with little detailed knowledge of the process. This study evaluates how several data clustering and feature extraction techniques work together to reveal useful trends in industrial chemical process data. Two studies on an industrial scale separation tower and the Tennessee Eastman process simulation demonstrate data clustering and feature extraction effectively revealing significant process trends from high dimensional, multivariate data. Process knowledge and supervised clustering metrics compare the cluster results against true labels in the data to compare performance of different combinations of dimensionality reduction and data clustering approaches.
Dysfunctions of the basal ganglia-cerebellar-thalamo-cortical system produce motor tics in Tourette syndrome

Motor tics are a cardinal feature of Tourette syndrome and are traditionally associated with an excess of striatal dopamine in the basal ganglia. Recent evidence increasingly supports a more articulated view where cerebellum and cortex, working closely in concert with basal ganglia, are also involved in tic production. Building on such evidence, this article proposes a computational model of the basal ganglia-cerebellar-thalamo-cortical system to study how motor tics are generated in Tourette syndrome. In particular, the model: (i) reproduces the main results of recent experiments about the involvement of the basal ganglia-cerebellar-thalamo-cortical system in tic generation; (ii) suggests an explanation of the system-level mechanisms underlying motor tic production: in this respect, the model predicts that the interplay between dopaminergic signal and cortical activity contributes to triggering the tic event and that the recently discovered basal ganglia-cerebellar anatomical pathway may support the involvement of the cerebellum in tic production; (iii) furnishes predictions on the amount of tics generated when striatal dopamine increases and when the cortex is externally stimulated. These predictions could be important in identifying new brain target areas for future therapies. Finally, the model represents the first computational attempt to study the role of the recently discovered basal ganglia-cerebellar anatomical links. Studying this non-cortex-mediated basal ganglia-cerebellar interaction could radically change our perspective about how these areas interact with each other and with the cortex. Overall, the model also shows the utility of casting Tourette syndrome within a system-level perspective rather than viewing it as related to the dysfunction of a single brain area.
SMC: Satisfiability Modulo Convex Optimization

We address the problem of determining the satisfiability of a Boolean combination of convex constraints over the real numbers, which is common in the context of hybrid system verification and control. We first show that a special type of logic formulas, termed monotone Satisfiability Modulo Convex (SMC) formulas, is the most general class of formulas over Boolean and nonlinear real predicates that reduce to convex programs for any satisfying assignment of the Boolean variables. For this class of formulas, we develop a new satisfiability modulo convex optimization procedure that uses a lazy combination of SAT solving and convex programming to provide a satisfying assignment or determine that the formula is unsatisfiable. Our approach can then leverage the efficiency and the formal guarantees of state-of-the-art algorithms in both the Boolean and convex analysis domains. A key step in lazy satisfiability solving is the generation of succinct infeasibility proofs that can support conflict-driven learning and decrease the number of iterations between the SAT and the theory solver. For this purpose, we propose a suite of algorithms that can trade complexity with the minimality of the generated infeasibility certificates. Remarkably, we show that a minimal infeasibility certificate can be generated by simply solving one convex program for a sub-class of SMC formulas, namely ordered positive unate SMC formulas, that have additional monotonicity properties. Perhaps surprisingly, ordered positive unate formulas appear themselves very frequently in a variety of practical applications. By exploiting the properties of monotone SMC formulas, we can then build and demonstrate effective and scalable decision procedures for problems in hybrid system verification and control, including secure state estimation and robotic motion planning.
Millipede assassins and allies (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae, Tribelocephalinae): total evidence phylogeny, revised classification and evolution of sexual dimorphism

Evolution of sexual dimorphism in animals has long been of interest to scientists, but relatively few studies have reconstructed evolutionary patterns of extreme sexual dimorphism at a phylogenetic scale, especially in insects. Millipede assassin bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Ectrichodiinae; 736 spp.) and their sister taxon, Tribelocephalinae (150 spp.), exhibit sexual dimorphism that ranges from limited to extreme, a phenomenon apparently modulated by female morphology. Here, we reconstruct the first phylogeny for the subfamilies Ectrichodiinae and Tribelocephalinae with comprehensive generic representation (152 taxa in 72 genera) using morphological and molecular data (six gene regions). The combined phylogenetic results indicate that Tribelocephalinae are paraphyletic with respect to Ectrichodiinae, and that Ectrichodiinae themselves are polyphyletic. Based on these results, we synonymize Tribelocephalinae with Ectrichodiinae syn.n., describe three new tribes (Ectrichodiini trib.n., Tribelocodiini trib.n., and Abelocephalini trib.n.) and two new subtribes (Opistoplatyina subtrib.n. and Tribelocephalina subtrib.n.), and revise Tribelocephalini sensu n. Ancestral state reconstruction of sexual dimorphism reconstructed limited sexual dimorphism in the ancestor of Ectrichodiinae sensu n. with at least seven evolutionary transitions to extreme sexual dimorphism within the clade. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C810E20F-D66A-461F-A0E6-AB1073EA3E3C.
A sub-1V, 2.8dB NF, 475µW coupled LNA for internet of things employing dual-path noise and nonlinearity cancellation

A 0.7V low power LNA combines a 1∶3 frontend balun with dual-path noise and non-linearity cancellation for improved noise performance at low power. In traditional techniques only the noise of the main path is cancelled while the noise of the auxiliary path is minimized by using high power. In the proposed design, the noise and non-linearity of both the main and the auxiliary paths are mutually cancelled allowing for low power operation. The 2.8dB NF, −10.7dBm IIP3 LNA in TSMC's 65nm GP process consumes 475µW of power resulting in an FOM of 28.8dB which is 8.2dB better than the state of the art.
Methodologies for Reliability Analysis of Water Distribution Systems

There have been no universally accepted methodologies or even definitions developed for the reliability of water distribution systems. Only recently have there been any major attempts to develop various methodologies for the assessment of reliability of these systems. This paper presents the background for new methodologies for water distribution system reliability, reliability analysis of pumping system, and reliability — based optimization models for water distribution systems. The methodology from water distribution system reliability computes model and system reliabilities using Monte Carlo simulation. The methodology for the reliability analysis of pumping systems is based upon a frequency and duration analysis procedure that can consider both mechanical failures and hydraulic failures. An optimization methodology for the reliability — based design of water distribution networks is presented that interfaces a nonlinear programming optimizer, with a hydraulic simulator and a reliability model.
Bare Branches, Prostitution, and HIV in China: A~Demographic Analysis

The alarming rise in China’s reported HIV cases in the last decade has caused concern among government officials and public health researchers. The increase in reported HIV cases is especially worrying because the majority of new cases are not observed in traditional high risk populations (such as intravenous drug users and recipients of former plasma donors), but are sexually transmitted. This chapter analyzes the demographic patterns in China that may be an important determinant of the increase in sexually transmitted HIV infections. High sex ratios, numbers of men relative to numbers of women, in young cohorts of Chinese men and women contribute to the increasing failure of Chinese men to marry. These men, referred to as bare branches (guang gun) since they will be unable to extend the family tree, are more likely to migrate to regions with more favorable marriage markets, and may be more likely to purchase sex. This behavior in turn increases men’s risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. We also analyze how further increases in sex ratios among Chinese men and women of marrying ages may affect migration patterns, commercial sex demand, and the spread of HIV. We begin the analysis in the second section with a brief history of HIV in China during the last two decades. In the third section, we present forecasts for demographic changes in China in the 21st century, describing how the entry of cohorts with highly skewed sex ratios into the marriage pool may result in large numbers of males marrying late, or failing to marry. In the fourth section considers how the imbalanced sex ratios and socio-economic
Positron radiography of ignition-relevant ICF capsules

Laser-generated positrons are evaluated as a probe source to radiograph in-flight ignition-relevant inertial confinement fusion capsules. Current ultraintense laser facilities are capable of producing 2 × 1012 relativistic positrons in a narrow energy bandwidth and short time duration. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the unique characteristics of such positrons allow for the reconstruction of both capsule shell radius and areal density between 0.002 and 2 g/cm2. The energy-downshifted positron spectrum and angular scattering of the source particles are sufficient to constrain the conditions of the capsule between preshot and stagnation. We evaluate the effects of magnetic fields near the capsule surface using analytic estimates where it is shown that this diagnostic can tolerate line integrated field strengths of 100 T mm.
Lack of school requirements and clinician recommendations for human papillomavirus vaccination.

Background A strong recommendation from a clinician is one of the best predictors of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among adolescents, yet many clinicians do not provide effective recommendations. The objective of this study was to understand how the lack of school entry requirements for HPV vaccination influences clinicians' recommendations. Design and methods Semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 32 clinicians were conducted in 2015 in Connecticut USA. Data were analysed using an iterative thematic approach in 2016-2017. Results Many clinicians described presenting HPV vaccination as optional or non-urgent because it is not required for school entry. This was noted to be different from how other required vaccines were discussed. Even strong recommendations were often qualified by statements about the lack of requirements. Furthermore, lack of requirements was often raised initially by clinicians and not by parents. Many clinicians agreed that requirements would simplify the recommendation, but that parents may not agree with requirements. Personal opinions about school entry requirements were mixed. Conclusions The current lack of school entry requirements for HPV vaccination is an important influence on clinicians' recommendations that are often framed as optional or non-urgent. Efforts are needed to strengthen the quality of clinicians' recommendations in a way that remains strong and focused on disease prevention yet uncoupled from the lack of requirements that may encourage delays. Additionally, greater support for requirements among clinicians may be needed to successfully enact requirements in the future.
Only the Architecture You Need

Arguably the prime focal point of a software system’s engineering is its architecture. A system’s architecture is the set of principal design decisions made during its development and evolution. All too often, however, the architecture—and every system has an architecture—is left latent. Such disregard arises from many factors; some would go so far as to say that an explicit focus on architecture is unnecessary. This chapter explores different contexts in which software development occurs and, with respect to those contexts, discusses what kind of attention to architecture is needed, why it is needed, how it may be approached, and benefits that may be achieved through such attention. The objective is to highlight the degrees of architectural rigor and effort that are commensurate with the needs of diverse projects.
Stopping Rules for Stochastic Decomposition

In our development thus far, we have concentrated on objective function approximations within a Stochastic Decomposition algorithm and on establishing asymptotic optimality of the solutions provided by SD. While such asymptotic properties provide the necessary analytic foundation for the algorithm, any practical computer implementation requires effective stopping criteria. It is important to recognize that when using sampled data to solve a problem, standard deterministic stopping rules are inadequate. We will develop specialized optimality tests that take advantage of the information generated during the course of the SD algorithm.
Synthesis and Structure of Borate Based Aerogels

Aerogels are highly porous, synthetic materials composed of continuous, interpenetrating solid and gaseous phases. Normally these materials are prepared by extracting the liquid phase from a gel using supercritical drying (SCD). In this process, the portion of the gel originally occupied by liquid (normally alcohol) is replaced by a non-condensed gas with little or no associated shrinkage. Aerogel density therefore generally scales with the volume fraction (concentration) of condensed species in the original gel.
Stochastic Runge-Kutta Algorithm and Parameter Optimization in Optical Simulations Using MATLAB

An algorithm and MATLAB code for solving nonlinear stochastic rate equations are presented and applied to the problem of parameter optimization using high performance computing.
Translation and evaluation of a lung cancer palliative care intervention for community practice.

77Background: A notable gap in the evidence-base for outpatient palliative care (PC) for cancer is that most trials were conducted in specialized centers with limited translation and further evalua...
Aortic Valve Opening Time, a Novel Parameter to Describe the Aortic Valve in Patients with Continuous Flow Devices

Purpose Aortic valve opening in patients with continuous flow LVADs is felt to be important to prevent root stasis and minimize complications. Optimal characterization of the aortic valve opening has not been delineated. We described Aortic Valve Opening Time (AVOT), a novel quantitative measure of aortic valve opening in patients with continuous flow LVADs. Methods From April 2017 to August 2018, sequential patients implanted with HVAD had serial echocardiograms. Aortic valve opening status and AVOT were analyzed longitudinally at 3 month intervals. AVOT was measured using M-mode echocardiography, quantified as the time interval between initial aortic leaflet opening to leaflet closure. The longest AVOT of each echocardiogram was used. Results Over a period of 17 months, 24 patients were studied. Mean age was 52 ± 3 years, and 75% were male. The mean speed was 2627 ± 26 rpm. During longitudinal follow up post implant, the aortic valve always opened in 10 (42%), intermittently opened in 4 (16%) and remained closed in 10 patients (42%). For patients in whom the aortic valve persistently or intermittently opened, the mean AVOT was 110 ± 22 msec. Patients with AVOT longer than 150 msec had less aortic and mitral regurgitation compared to those with AVOT less than 150 msec, irrespective of frequency of aortic valve opening or device speed. Conclusion Aortic valve opening time is a novel characterization of the aortic valve in patients with continuous flow devices, independent of frequency of aortic valve opening. The relationship between the AVOT and outcomes needs to be defined.
Role of flying cars in sustainable mobility.

Interest and investment in electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOLs), commonly known as flying cars, have grown significantly. However, their sustainability implications are unclear. We report a physics-based analysis of primary energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of VTOLs vs. ground-based cars. Tilt-rotor/duct/wing VTOLs are efficient when cruising but consume substantial energy for takeoff and climb; hence, their burdens depend critically on trip distance. For our base case, traveling 100 km (point-to-point) with one pilot in a VTOL results in well-to-wing/wheel GHG emissions that are 35% lower but 28% higher than a one-occupant internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) and battery electric vehicle (BEV), respectively. Comparing fully loaded VTOLs (three passengers) with ground-based cars with an average occupancy of 1.54, VTOL GHG emissions per passenger-kilometer are 52% lower than ICEVs and 6% lower than BEVs. VTOLs offer fast, predictable transportation and could have a niche role in sustainable mobility. Vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOLs), or “flying cars” can shorten commute time and could play a niche role in sustainable mobility. The authors estimate that over long distances, fully-loaded electric VTOL taxis could result in fewer GHG emissions than average occupancy ground-based cars.
MRIgRT head and neck anthropomorphic QA phantom: Design, development, reproducibility, and feasibility study.

PURPOSE The purpose of this paper was to design, manufacture, and evaluate a tissue equivalent, dual magnetic resonance/computed tomography (MR/CT) visible anthropomorphic head and neck (H&N) phantom. This phantom was specially designed as an end-to-end quality assurance (QA) tool for MR imaging guided radiotherapy (MRIgRT) systems participating in NCI-sponsored clinical trials. METHOD The MRIgRT H&N phantom was constructed using a water-fillable acrylic shell and a custom insert that mimics an organ at risk (OAR) and target structures. The insert consists of a primary and secondary planning target volume (PTV) manufactured of a synthetic Clear Ballistic gel, an acrylic OAR and surrounding tissue fabricated using melted Superflab. Radiochromic EBT3 film and thermoluminescent detectors (TLDs) were used to measure the dose distribution and absolute dose, respectively. The phantom was evaluated by conducting an end-to-end test that included: imaging on a GE Lightspeed CT simulator, planning on Monaco treatment planning software (TPS), verifying treatment setup with MR, and irradiating on Elekta's 1.5 T Unity MR linac system. The phantom was irradiated three times using the same plan to determine reproducibility. Three institutions, equipped with either ViewRay MRIdian 60 Co or ViewRay MRIdian Linac, were used to conduct a feasibility study by performing independent end-to-end studies. Thermoluminescent detectors were evaluated in both reproducibility and feasibility studies by comparing ratios of measured TLD to reported TPS calculated values. Radiochromic film was used to compare measured planar dose distributions to expected TPS distributions. Film was evaluated by using an in-house gamma analysis software to measure the discrepancies between film and TPS. RESULTS The MRIgRT H&N phantom on the Unity system resulted in reproducible TLD doses (SD 85% of pixels passing gamma analysis using 7%/4 mm on films. CONCLUSIONS An MRIgRT H&N phantom that is tissue equivalent and visible on both CT and MR was developed. The results from initial reproducibility and feasibility testing of the MRIgRT H&N phantom using the tested MGIgRT systems suggests the phantom's potential utility as a credentialing tool for NCI-clinical trials.
Changing practice patterns in head and neck oncologic surgery in the early COVID-19 era.

Background The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed health care, challenged by resource constraints and fears of transmission. We report the surgical practice pattern changes in a Head and Neck Surgery department of a tertiary cancer care center and discuss the issues surrounding multidisciplinary care during the pandemic. Methods We report data regarding outpatient visits, multidisciplinary treatment planning conference, surgical caseload, and modifications of oncologic therapy during this pandemic and compared this data to the same interval last year. Results We found a 46.7% decrease in outpatient visits and a 46.8% decrease in surgical caseload, compared to 2019. We discuss the factors involved in the decision-making process and perioperative considerations. Conclusions Surgical practice patterns in head and neck oncologic surgery will continue to change with the evolving pandemic. Despite constraints, we strive to prioritize and balance the oncologic and safety needs of patients with head and neck cancer in the face of COVID-19.
Comparison of oncologic outcomes for robotic-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) versus open radical cystectomy (ORC) among locally advanced and node-positive patients: An analysis of the National Cancer Database (NCDB).

e17002Background: Despite recent concerns of atypical recurrence following RARC, utilization of the modality is increasing. The presumed mechanisms are especially relevant in more aggressive diseas...
Tradeoffs between phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation influence the ecophysiology of the moss, Sphagnum magellanicum.

Bryophytes are a diverse plant group and are functionally different from vascular plants. Yet, their peculiarities are rarely considered in the theoretical frameworks for plants. Currently, we lack information about the magnitude and the importance of intraspecific variability in the ecophysiology of bryophytes and how these might translate to local adaptation—a prerequisite for adaptive evolution. Capitalizing on two ecologically distinct (hummock and hollow) phenotypes of Sphagnum magellanicum, we explored the magnitude and pattern of intraspecific variability in this species and asked whether the environmental-mediated changes in shoot and physiological traits are due to phenotypic plasticity or local adaptation. Size, pigmentation, and habitat type that distinguished the phenotypes in the field did not influence the trait responses under a transplant and factorial experiment. In addition, the magnitude and pattern of trait variability (e.g., branch, stem and capitulum mass) changed with the treatments, which suggest that trait responses were due largely to phenotypic plasticity. The trait responses also suggest that the ecophysiological needs for mosses to grow in clumps, where they maintain a uniform growth may have an overriding effect over the potential for a fixed adaptive response to environmental heterogeneity, which would constrain local adaptation. We conclude that extending the trait-based framework to mosses or making comparisons between mosses and vascular plants under any theoretical framework would only be meaningful to the extent that growth form and dispersal strategies are considered.
Effect of oral sensorimotor stimulation on oropharyngeal dysphagia in children with spastic cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled trial.

Background Children with cerebral palsy show various degrees of dysphagia causing late development of oral motor skills. Aim To investigate effect of oral sensorimotor stimulation on oropharyngeal dysphagia in children with spastic quadriplegia. Design This was a double-masked, randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting Out-patient Clinics of Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University and Modern University of Technology and information. Population A convenient sample of 71 children age ranged from 12 to 48 months diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia, were randomly assigned into two groups. Methods Children in the control group received 90 minutes conventional physical therapy training five times/week for 4 successive months while those in the experimental group received 20 minutes of oral sensorimotor stimulation before the same program as in control group for 60 minutes. Oral motor function, body weight, segmental trunk control and gross motor function were assessed at base-line and after completing treatment. Results In total, 64 (experimental n=32, control n=32) children completed treatment and data collection. The baseline assessment showed non-significant difference regarding all measured variables while with-in group comparison showed significant improvement in the two groups. The post-treatment comparisons revealed significant difference the oral motor function and physical growth in favor of the experimental group (p 0.05). Conclusions Oral sensorimotor stimulation has the capability to improve feeding in children with spastic cerebral palsy diagnosed with oropharyngeal dysphagia. Clinical rehabilitayion impact OSMS has effect on some of the essential oral motor skills that contribute toward the improvement of feeding performance in children with spastic CP. The results of our study offer remarkable clinical importance for the children and their families.
A Fluid Dynamic Study of a Microcontaminant Particles Removal Process

Flow visualization techniques are used to study microcontaminant particles removal using drag and centrifugal forces (wafer rinsing). This removal process is an effective and commonly used method in the semiconductor industry. Understanding the flowfield around the rotating wafers is essential in determining the effectiveness and efficiency of the process. Flow visualization is used to observe the effect of rotational speed, jet flow rate and nozzle type on the flow pattern on the wafers. Optical and novel chemical flow visualization techniques are used. The qualitative and quantitative results show that the rotating wafers were completely covered with a water-film (that provides the drag force) only at certain values of the governing parameters. An empirical correlation between the water-film coverage and the operating parameters is introduced. A three-dimensional turbulent time-dependent prediction procedure for swirling flows is used to predict the flow around the wafers. Predictions of the trajectories of the water droplets issued from a peripheral jet into the flowfield between two rotating disks are also performed and the results presented.
Progression and Survival after Renal-Conserving Surgery for Renal Cell Carcinoma: Experience in 104 Patients and Extended Followup

AbstractOf 104 patients who underwent a conservative operation for renal cell carcinoma 42 underwent partial nephrectomy, 60 underwent enucleation and 2 underwent a combination of these procedures. A total of 14 patients required an extracorporeal operation with autotransplantation. Forty patients had bilateral renal cell carcinoma (20 were synchronous and 20 were asynchronous) and 39 had either a solitary kidney or a poorly functioning contralateral renal unit. An operation was performed in the presence of a normal contralateral unit in 20 patients. The maximal duration of followup was 20 years (mean 4.9 years): 43, 17 and 7 patients were followed for 5 or more, 10 or more and 15 or more years, respectively. The 5-year cause-specific survival rates were 88.6 ± 5.6, 91.6 ± 4.7 and 88.9 ± 3.8%, respectively, for the enucleation group, partial nephrectomy group and all patients combined. The percentages of patients free of local recurrence at 5 years for the enucleation and partial nephrectomy groups were 9...
EVALUATION OF COMPETITION IN THE BRITISH LOCAL BUS INDUSTRY

The British bus industry has been organised as a system of strictly regulated route monopolies for over fifty years. Suggestions that this monopoly has lead to inefficiencies and the stifling of innovation have prompted a critical appraisal of how a competition structure might be generated. This paper attempts to determine the economically optimal market structure for the local (stage) omnibus industry in the United Kingdom, both by the development of appropriate models of bus markets, and by empirical observation of how bus markets operate. The paper concludes that competition between bus companies 'on the road' is liable, in the short run, to lead to a social welfare disbenefit to society. In addition, at present levels of service, and the present subsidy regime, incentives to enter the market are absent in a large proportion of the stage carriage network. Whilst competition, which will be more prevalent on profitable routes and timings, will reduce inter- nal cross-subsidy, and thus affect users of other, unremun- erative services, the research concludes that this reduction can lead to a social welfare improvement if there is a curtail- ment of activities which, at present costs of provision, outweigh consumers benefit, or if direct subsidy is substituted for cross-subsidy. There are, however potential gains from competitive stimuli in the form of lower cost operation, either by removal of previous inefficiencies or by the replacement of high cost operators by lower cost ones. The institutional problem is how to obtain the long run benefits without the short run costs of unfettered competition 'on the road'. This would indicate that in the bus industry competition for the market rather than competition in it, is required. The - paper concludes that for effective potezial competition in the bus industry, a regulated system with low entry barriers such as franchising or contracting of services should result.
Pulsatile arterial wall-blood flow interaction with wall pre-stress computed using an inverse algorithm

The computation of arterial wall deformation and stresses under physiologic conditions requires a coupled compliant arterial wall-blood flow interaction model. The in-vivo arterial wall motion is constrained by tethering from the surrounding tissues. This tethering, together with the average in-vivo pressure, results in wall pre-stress. For an accurate simulation of the physiologic conditions, it is important to incorporate the wall pre-stress in the computational model. The computation of wall pre-stress is complex, as the un-loaded and un-tethered arterial shape with residual stress is unknown. In this study, the arterial wall deformation and stresses in a canine femoral artery under pulsatile pressure was computed after incorporating the wall pre-stresses. A nonlinear least square optimization based inverse algorithm was developed to compute the in-vivo wall pre-stress. First, the proposed inverse algorithm was used to obtain the un-loaded and un-tethered arterial geometry from the unstressed in-vivo geometry. Then, the un-loaded, and un-tethered arterial geometry was pre-stressed by applying a mean in-vivo pressure of 104.5 mmHg and an axial stretch of 48% from the un-tethered length. Finally, the physiologic pressure pulse was applied at the inlet and the outlet of the pre-stressed configuration to calculate the in-vivo deformation and stresses. The wall material properties were modeled with an incompressible, Mooney-Rivlin model derived from previously published experimental stress-strain data (Attinger et al., 1968). The un-loaded and un-tethered artery geometry computed by the inverse algorithm had a length, inner diameter and thickness of 35.14 mm, 3.10 mm and 0.435 mm, respectively. The pre-stressed arterial wall geometry was obtained by applying the in-vivo axial-stretch and average in-vivo pressure to the un-loaded and un-tethered geometry. The length of the pre-stressed artery, 51.99 mm, was within 0.01 mm (0.019%) of the in-vivo length of 52.0 mm; the inner diameter of 3.603 mm was within 0.003 mm (0.08%) of the corresponding in-vivo diameter of 3.6 mm, and the thickness of 0.269 mm was within 0.0015 mm (0.55%) of the in-vivo thickness of 0.27 mm. Under physiologic pulsatile pressure applied to the pre-stressed artery, the time averaged longitudinal stress was found to be 42.5% higher than the circumferential stresses. The results of this study are similar to the results reported by Zhang et al., (2005) for the left anterior descending coronary artery. An inverse method was adopted to compute physiologic pre-stress in the arterial wall before conducting pulsatile hemodynamic calculations. The wall stresses were higher in magnitude in the longitudinal direction, under physiologic pressure after incorporating the effect of in-vivo axial stretch and pressure loading.
On fast algorithms for adaptive control

The authors study one alternative for improving the computational efficiency of control algorithms. The case considered is a self-tuning control strategy. Attention is focused on the parameter estimation stage. The strategy used is that of simplifying computations in the estimation algorithms. The reduction in computational delay is expected to offset a possible loss in performance due to suboptimal estimates. Several variations of the recursive-least-square algorithm are considered. >
Activation and Regulation of Human Cytomegalovirus Early Genes

The multiple pathogenic effects of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) result from a complex interplay of viral gene products and induced and repressed cellular functions. HCMV immediate early and early gene expression clearly play a pivotal role in this scheme. I describe here work directed at elucidating the sequence requirements and trans-acting factors necessary for the activation and regulation of HCMV early genes. The focus is on three transcription units which are all activated at early times, but exemplify differential patterns of expression as the infection progresses, including: the major 2.7- and 1.2-kb transcripts encoded by the repeat bounding of the long unique segment of the genome, and a family of differentially spliced transcripts (originally designated the 2.2-kb RNAs-ORF UL112-113) which encode four proteins that are required in the transient complementation assay for HCMV DNA replication. Selected other early genes which illustrate alternative mechanisms of control are also discussed.
Single protein misfolding events captured by atomic force microscopy

Using single protein atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques we demonstrate that after repeated mechanical extension/relaxation cycles, tandem modular proteins can misfold into a structure formed by two neighboring modules. The misfolding is fully reversible and alters the mechanical topology of the modules while it is about as stable as the original fold. Our results show that modular proteins can assume a novel misfolded state and demonstrate that AFM is able to capture, in real time, rare misfolding events at the level of a single protein.
Pharmaceutical Packaging: Containers & Closures

Pharmaceutical packaging is regarded as an integral part of the end pharmaceutical product. The primary packaging is the one which is in direct contact with the product (i.e. bottle, cap, cap liner, label etc). The functions of the primary package are to contain and to restrict any chemical, climatic or biological or occasionally mechanical hazards that may cause or lead to product deterioration. Packaging must also function as a means of drug administrations. The packaging external to the primary package is known as the secondary packaging. The secondary packaging provides the additional physical protection necessary to endure the safe warehousing and for refill packaging. Tamper–resistant packaging mainly includes film wrapper, Blister package, strip package, bubble pack and shrink package. This review article examines every significant aspect of pharmaceutical packaging in a comprehensive and readable way. It presents a detailed review of functions of packaging, factor influencing the choice of package, containers, closures and robotics. Also included is a discussion of current issues and problems in this area of packaging. KEYWORD: Packaging, Containers, Child resistant, Robotics.
Equation of state and crushing dynamics of low-density silica aerogels

Shock compression of low-density silica aerogels reveals a rate process associated with the crushing dynamics of the aerogel structure. Embedded magnetic impulse velocity gauge (MIV) experiments have been accomplished on density 0.3 and 0.12 g/cm{sup 3} materials. The crushing rate has been determined for the low pressure ({approximately}0.1 to 0.2 GPa) regime, and equation of state (EOS) data have been required. The crushing rate increases with applied pressure in this low pressure region. 7 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.