cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reply to limitations in the imputation strategy to handle missing nativity data in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program.

We appreciate the comments from Pineda et al., and agree with their statement that the distribution of missing birthplace is not at random and is related to vital status. While they are correct in noting a large discrepancy in the proportion of U.S.- and foreign-born individuals when comparing the imputed data to cases whose birthplace was unknown in 2006 but became known in 2012, we would like to comment on two issues: 1) when applying the exclusion criteria specified in our original analysis, the proportion of cases with updated nativity is small, representing ≤ 11% of cases with missing birthplace and < 5% of total cases; and 2) when applying the exclusion criteria, the nativity distribution of cases with updated nativity is quite different from what they present. We requested a custom data linkage of Hispanic cases diagnosed from 1995–2004 who were reported in 2006 and 2012. For cervix cancer, there were 98 cases for whom nativity was unknown in 2006 but became known in 2012, representing 6% of 1,636 cases with missing nativity and < 2% of total cases. Among these, 53% were found to be U.S.-born and 47% were foreign-born, a distribution overall not different from the 1:1 ratio expected if death certificate reporting is independent of birthplace. For prostate cancer, nativity became known for 1,229 cases, < 10% of cases with missing data and < 5% of total cases. Similarly, the observed distribution reflected independence between reporting and birthplace (53% U.S-born). Only for colorectal cancer was the observed distribution different from what may be expected by chance, with U.S.-borns accounting for 66% of cases with updated data. However, these 671 cases still represent 11% of cases with missing data and only 4% of total cases. We did not observe significant changes in the survival curves presented in our original analyses with the addition of the updated data (affecting 30% of the original sample.
In Vitro Activity of Fleroxacin in Combination with Other Antimicrobial Agents

The trifluoroquinolone fleroxacin inhibits the majority of Enterobacteriaceae at concentrations ≤1 µg/mL and most Pseudomonas aeruginosa and staphylococci at ≤2 µg/mL. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the combination of fleroxacin with other antimicrobial agents. Previous studies that used checkerboard assay, fixed concentrations, and killing curves were reviewed, and these methods were used to evaluate the combination of fleroxacin and agents that had not been previously studied. The combination of fleroxacin with such aminoglycosides as gentamicin, amikacin, and tobramycin is indifferent against most Enterobacteriaceae, as is the combination of fleroxacin with penicillins, cephalosporins, rifampin, clindamycin, and metronidazole. Combinations of fleroxacin with penicillins, cephalosporins, imipenem, aminoglycosides, clindamycin, metronidazole, and rifampin are indifferent against P. aeruginosa. Fosfomycin and fleroxacin acted synergistically against P. aeruginosa. Against staphylococci, combinations of fleroxacin with oxacillin, rifampin, or fosfomycin had synergistic or additive effects, whereas combinations of fleroxacin with vancomycin, gentamicin, or metronidazole have shown indifference. No synergy or antagonism has been found for combinations of fleroxacin with penicillin, vancomycin, erythromycin, clindamycin, or rifampin against streptococci or enterococci. The combination of fleroxacin and metronidazole has proved synergistic against various Bacteroides species. In general, combinations of fleroxacin with other antimicrobial agents display indifference and rarely synergy. Thus, fleroxacin can be combined with other antibiotics to enlarge the spectrum of activity.
Aggregation of 12-Hydroxystearic Acid and Its Lithium Salt in Hexane: Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

12-Hydroxystearic acid (12HSA) is a well-known organogelator, and its metal salts and derivatives find roles in many important applications. The structures of aggregates of 12-hydroxysteric acid and its salts depend sensitively on cation type, but a fundamental understanding of this phenomenon is lacking. In this study, molecular dynamics simulations were conducted on the microsecond long time scales for (1) 12HSA and (2) its lithium salt, each at 12.5 wt % in explicit hexane solvent. Self-assembly was accelerated by using a modified potential to prohibit alkane chain dihedral gauche states (all-trans-12HSA) and then verified by continuation using standard force-field parameters. In three independent simulation, acceleration using “gauche-less” potentials resulted in self-assembled pseudocrystalline aggregates through formation of polarized five- and six-membered rings between inter-12-hydroxyl groups and head-to-head carboxylic acid dimerization. When subjected to the unmodified dihedral potential, two o...
Prestige Planning for Vernacular Language Education around the World: Successes and Failures

This chapter offers a survey of case studies of language policies promoting vernacular language education in various communities around the world. The aim of these studies is to show that vernacular language education has succeeded wherever it has been associated with an economic value. The absence of that value, the chapter argues, is the catalyst for vernacular language education failure in the African continent. Furthermore, the chapter considers case studies of Prestige Planning failure, or “resistance of vernacular education,” and then discusses the consequences of language policy failure in Africa for African languages and for their speakers.
Chapter 12 – Immune Disorders, Epigenetics, and the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

Programming of the developing immune system during prenatal and early postnatal development can have a major impact on immune function and risk of later-life communicable and noncommunicable diseases. A variety of environmental risk factors exist, including environmental chemicals, drugs, infectious agents, radiation, physical and psychological conditions, and medical procedures and devices. Immune disorders appear to occur via three overlapping processes: (1) direct and overt real-time disruption of critical steps in immune maturation, (2) induction of immune imbalance via epigenetic regulation of gene expression, and (3) microbiome-mediated impairment of immune maturation. This chapter summarizes the literature and provides a view toward potential common pathways connecting early-life exposures with later-life immune-driven diseases.
Circadian Rhythms and Sleep

Part of our birthright as inhabitants of a spinning globe is continual exposure to rhythmical environmental changes and, in particular, the progression of day and night. It is no wonder that in the course of evolution organisms came to display rhythmic behaviors with an approximately 24-hr cycle. The ancient Greeks noted that various plants open their leaves by day and close them by night. The initial view of such rhythmic activities was that they were passive responses to changing stimuli, such as light and dark. By the eighteenth century, evidence began to accumulate suggesting that some rhythmic behaviors were active processes, which were manifestations of internal clocklike mechanisms. One of the earliest reports was made by Jean Jacques d’Ortous de Marian, who found that one particular plant would continue to open its leaves by day and close them by night, even in continuous darkness (Marchant, 1729). Perhaps more relevant to this discussion, de Marian went on to report that patients confined to bed would tend to keep a daily (circadian) rhythm of waking and sleep even when they did not know whether it was day or night. In the nineteenth-century, studies in environments without time cues (temporal isolation) began to lead to the conclusion that not only did organisms have active clocklike mechanisms but that they also might operate at rhythms that were slightly faster or slower than 24 hr (for a detailed review, see Moore-Ede, Sulzman, and Fuller, 1982).
Two-Dimensional 29Xe Exchange NMR Measurements of Xenon Dynamics in Na-A Zeolite

Two-dimensional (2D) exchange NMR is a powerful tool for measuring the dynamics and energetics of adsorbed xenon atoms undergoing slow exchange between the alpha-cages of Na-A zeolite. In this proceedings, we present recently published results, as well as additional discussion and data obtained, using 2D Xe-129 NMR to determine rate coefficients for intercage xenon hopping and to correlate them with adsorption and activation energies. Variable-temperature experiments establish the activation energy for hopping between alpha-cages to be 60+/-10 kJ/mol. The dependence of these kinetic and thermodynamic quantities on xenon occupancy of the alpha-cages reflects the importance of intracage interactions on the behavior of the adsorbed guest molecules.
Perioperative Pain Management

It is estimated that 75% of patients undergoing any surgery in the United States experience inadequate pain control. Surgical pain has the features of nociceptive, inflammatory, and neuropathic pain. Therefore, it has been recommended that more than one analgesic modality (multimodal analgesia) will be necessary to achieve adequate perioperative pain control, thus avoiding the unwanted effects of large doses of single analgesics, in particular opioids. A multimodal analgesic technique entails the preoperative initiation, intraoperative continuation, and postoperative maintenance of a combination of regional anesthesia/analgesia techniques (whenever possible) with two or more systemic analgesics. In the postoperative period, the addition of systemic analgesics is important; in particular when regional anesthesia techniques are discontinued, as during this time patients may experience severe distress and discomfort (“analgesic gap period”).
Postconviction Prosecutorial Duties

A prosecutor’s ethical duty to disclose exculpatory information prior to conviction has long been recognized. The wrongful convictions revealed through the work of the original Innocence Project and its offspring around the country have focused attention in recent years on the ethical obligations of prosecutors who learn of exculpatory information after a conviction. Must a prosecutor disclose such information? When a prosecutor learns of exculpatory information after a conviction, must the prosecutor investigate further to determine whether the defendant was wrongfully convicted? Must the prosecutor seek to remedy a conviction if the exculpatory evidence is sufficiently strong? In this legal ethics column, we review how the American Bar Association (ABA) and various state ethics authorities have answered these three questions.
High-Resolution Coupled Ocean-Wave-Atmosphere Prediction of Typhoons and Their Impact on the Upper Ocean

Abstract : The long-term goal is to gain new insight into the atmosphere-ocean-wave interaction within typhoon environments and to advance the development of the Navy's Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System COAMPS 1 through integration of new knowledge and technology and collaboration with ONR's Ocean Battlespace Sensing Departmental Research Initiative (DRI). The objectives of this research are to (1) investigate the impact of air-sea interaction including wave and sea spray effects on typhoon structure and intensity and its impact on the ocean mixed layer characteristics in the Western Pacific; (2) evaluate and validate new atmosphere-ocean-wave model parameterizations and COAMPS simulations of typhoon impacts on the ocean and atmosphere boundary layers; and (3) advance the development and improvement of the high-resolution COAMPS-On Scene (COAMPS-OS 1) Coupled Modeling Initiative through systematic evaluation using the DRI field experiment data and other available datasets.
Discrimination of bursts and tonic activity in multifunctional sensorimotor neural network using the extended hill-valley method.

Neurons exhibit diverse spiking patterns, but automated activity classification has focused mainly on detecting bursts. The novel extended hill-valley algorithm uses a smoothed, history-dependent s...
Sex differences in mechanisms of head impacts in collegiate soccer athletes.

Abstract Background There has been growing interest in head impacts related to sports participation due to potential long- and short-term consequences of head injuries. Our purpose was to compare head impact magnitude and frequency between men's and women's intercollegiate soccer players based on head impact mechanism. Methods 28 collegiate soccer players (16 women: age = 19.94 (1.06) years, height = 163.75 (5.15) cm, mass = 61.21 (5.09) kg; 12 men: age = 20.25 (1.14) years, height = 180.34 (6.03) cm, mass = 74.09 (9.32) kg) wore xPatch (X2 Biosystems, Seattle, WA) head impact sensors. Each practice and game was video recorded in order to confirm head impacts. The independent variable was impact mechanism (head to head, head to body (other than head), head to ground, ball to head, goal to head, and combination). Sensors collected linear and rotational accelerations and frequency of head impacts per 1000 athlete exposures. Findings Men were more likely to sustain head impacts than women (IRR = 1.74, CI95 = 1.59–1.92). The highest head impact incidence rate for men was head to body (IR = 611.68, CI95 = 553.11–670.25) while the highest impact incidence rate for women was ball to head (IR = 302.29, CI95 = 270.93–333.64). The interaction between sex and mechanism was significant for rotational accelerations (F4, 1720 = 3.757, P = .005, ω2 = 0.013) but not for linear accelerations (F4,1720 = 0.680, P = .606, ω2 Interpretation To reduce the frequency of head impacts in men, perhaps rules governing player to player contact should be more strictly enforced as these data confirm frequent player-to-head contact during soccer practices and games. Prevention efforts for women should be focused on limiting the amount of purposeful heading (planned contact between the head and ball) occurring during play especially since these impacts had higher magnitudes compared to men.
Voiding Cystourethrogram in Children With Unilateral Multicystic Dysplastic Kidney: Is It Still necessary?

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the value of the voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) in children with multicystic dysplastic kidney (MCDK) who have a normal versus abnormal contralateral kidney and bladder ultrasound (US), and assess the risk of having vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) or urinary tract infection (UTI) based on the US results. METHODS A retrospective chart review including children with unilateral MCDK with postnatal US and VCUG available at our institution between January 2008 and September 2017 was performed. Analysis was done to find association between abnormal contralateral US and contralateral VUR and UTI. RESULTS One hundred and fifty-six children were analyzed; 118(75.6%) patients had a normal contralateral kidney US, while 38(24.4%) had abnormal US. The rate of severe contralateral VUR (grade IV and V) was 2 (1.7%) and 5 (13.2%) in children with normal and abnormal contralateral US, respectively. The risk analysis demonstrated a significant association between severe VUR on the contralateral kidney and an abnormal contralateral US (odds ratio = 7.73; 95%CI: 1.43-41.81; P = 0.018) and no significant association with UTI (odds ratio = 1.58; 95%CI: 0.50-4.94; P = 0.435). CONCLUSION Our data suggests, the rate of severe contralateral VUR in children with unilateral MCDK and normal contralateral kidney is low. VCUG should be considered for infants with proven MCKD and alterations on the contralateral kidney on US. Following patients with MCDK and normal contralateral kidney without the use of VCUG is a reasonable approach, unless there is development of signs and symptoms of recurrent UTI or deterioration of the renal function. We found that abnormal contralateral kidney US was associated with severe VUR.
International authorship and collaboration in bioRxiv preprints

As preprints become more integrated into the conventional avenues of scientific communication, it is critical to understand who is being included and who is not. However, little is known about which countries are participating in the phenomenon or how they collaborate with each other. Here, we present an analysis of 67,885 preprints posted to bioRxiv from 2013 through 2019 that includes the first comprehensive dataset of country-level affiliations for all preprint authors. We find the plurality of preprints (37%) come from the United States, more than three times as many as the next-most prolific country, the United Kingdom (10%). We find some countries are overrepresented on bioRxiv relative to their overall scientific output: The U.S. and U.K. are again at the top of the list, with other countries such as China, India and Russia showing much lower levels of bioRxiv adoption despite comparatively high numbers of scholarly publications. We describe a subset of "contributor countries" including Uganda, Croatia, Thailand, Greece and Kenya, which appear on preprints almost exclusively as part of international collaborations and seldom in the senior author position. Lastly, we find multiple journals that disproportionately favor preprints from some countries over others, a dynamic that almost always benefits manuscripts with a senior author affiliated with the United States.
Connecting the Past to the Future of Computer-assisted Language Learning: Theory, Practice, and Research

Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has established itself as a fruitful area of inquiry that contributes to language education and educational technology. CALL has witnessed the endeavor of exploiting technology for robust and meaningful language learning and teaching from scholars over a period of more than fifty years. With the continued advancement of technology, the field of CALL are facing new challenges and possibilities in terms of theory, practice, and research in this new era. Thus, a review of major trends in past CALL and a critical projection of future CALL are needed in order to capture the dynamics and opportunities for future technology-enhanced language learning. This article provides an overview of the evolution of theory and practice in CALL research. The author explores the state of the art and important future areas of inquiry of CALL by addressing emerging technologies. This paper concludes with theoretical and methodological considerations for approaching CALL today and beyond.
Optimal Sensor Placement for Flexible Wings Using the Greedy Algorithm

The problem of optimal sensor placement (OSP) plays an essential role in developing the active vibration control system. In this paper, the OSP for a flexible wing is addressed using the greedy algorithm. The vibration behavior of a flexible wing structure is modeled into an LPV (Linear Parameter Varying) model, and the closed-loop system performance with an $\mathcal{H}_{2}$ LPV controller is considered as the objective function. Then the OSP problem is formulated into a hybrid optimization problem with integer variables and matrix-valued variables. The greedy algorithm is applied to solve for the optimal policy of sensor placement and the $\mathcal{H}_{2}$ LPV controller. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach and illustrate the trade-off between the number of selected sensors and the best achievable closed-loop system performance.
Exploration of xenobiotic metabolism within cell lines used for Tox21 chemical screening.

Abstract The Tox21 Program has investigated thousands of chemicals with high-throughput screening assays using cell-based assays to link thousands of chemicals to individual molecular targets/pathways. However, these systems have been widely criticized for their suspected lack of ‘metabolic competence’ to bioactivate or detoxify chemical exposures. In this study, 9 cell line backgrounds used in Tox21 assays (i.e., HepG2, HEK293, Hela, HCT116, ME180, CHO-K1, GH3.TRE-Luc, C3H10T1/2 and MCF7) were evaluated via metabolite formation rates, along with metabolic clearance and metabolite profiling for HepG2, HEK293, and MCF-7aroERE, in comparison to pooled donor (50) suspensions of primary human hepatocytes (PHHs). Using prototype clinical drug substrates for CYP1A2, CYP2B6, and CYP3A4/5, extremely low-to-undetectable CYP450 metabolism was observed (24 h), and consistent with their purported ‘lack’ of metabolic competence. However, for Phase II metabolizing enzymes and metabolic clearance, surprisingly proficient metabolism was observed for bisphenol AF, bisphenol S, and 7-hydroxycoumarin. Here, comparatively low glucuronidation relative to sulfation was observed in contrast to equivalent levels in PHHs. Overall, while a lack of CYP450 metabolism was confirmed in this benchmarking effort, Tox21 cell lines were not ‘incompetent’ for xenobiotic metabolism, and displayed surprisingly high proficiency for sulfation that rivaled PHHs. These findings have implications for the interpretation of Tox21 assay data, and establish a framework for evaluating of ‘metabolic competence’ with in vitro models.
Meta-analysis and machine learning-augmented mixed effects cohort analysis of improved diets among 5,847 medical trainees, providers, and patients

OBJECTIVE We sought to produce the first meta-analysis (of medical trainee competency improvement in nutrition counseling) informing the first cohort study of patient diet improvement through medical trainees and providers counseling patients on nutrition. DESIGN (Part A) A systematic review and meta-analysis informing (Part B) the intervention analysed in the world's largest prospective multi-centre cohort study on hands-on cooking and nutrition education for medical trainees, providers and patients. SETTINGS (A) Medical educational institutions. (B) Teaching kitchens. PARTICIPANTS (A) Medical trainees. (B) Trainees, providers and patients. RESULTS (A) Of the 212 citations identified (n 1698 trainees), eleven studies met inclusion criteria. The overall effect size was 9·80 (95 % CI (7·15, 12·45) and 95 % CI (6·87, 13·85); P < 0·001), comparable with the machine learning (ML)-augmented results. The number needed to treat for the top performing high-quality study was 12. (B) The hands-on cooking and nutrition education curriculum from the top performing study were applied for medical trainees and providers who subsequently taught patients in the same curriculum (n 5847). The intervention compared with standard medical care and education alone significantly increased the odds of superior diets (high/medium v. low Mediterranean diet adherence) for residents/fellows most (OR 10·79, 95 % CI (4·94, 23·58); P < 0·001) followed by students (OR 9·62, 95 % CI (5·92, 15·63); P < 0·001), providers (OR 5·19, 95 % CI (3·23, 8·32), P < 0·001) and patients (OR 2·48, 95 % CI (1·38, 4·45); P = 0·002), results consistent with those from ML. CONCLUSIONS The current study suggests that medical trainees and providers can improve patients' diets with nutrition counseling in a manner that is clinically and cost effective and may simultaneously advance societal equity.
A Multi-scale Spatial and Temporal Attention Network on Dynamic Connectivity to Localize the Eloquent Cortex in Brain Tumor Patients

We present a deep neural network architecture that combines multi-scale spatial attention with temporal attention to simultaneously localize the language and motor areas of the eloquent cortex from dynamic functional connectivity data. Our multi-scale spatial attention operates on graph-based features extracted from the connectivity matrices, thus honing in on the inter-regional interactions that collectively define the eloquent cortex. At the same time, our temporal attention model selects the intervals during which these interactions are most pronounced. The final stage of our model employs multi-task learning to differentiate between the eloquent subsystems. Our training strategy enables us to handle missing eloquent class labels by freezing the weights in those branches while updating the rest of the network weights. We evaluate our method on resting-state fMRI data from one synthetic dataset and one in-house brain tumor dataset while using task fMRI activations as ground-truth labels for the eloquent cortex. Our model achieves higher localization accuracies than conventional deep learning approaches. It also produces interpretable spatial and temporal attention features which can provide further insights for presurgical planning. Thus, our model shows translational promise for improving the safety of brain tumor resections.
Exemption of lattice collapse in Ni–MnO2 birnessite regulated by the structural water mobility

Lattice collapse and associated mechanical fracture frequently occur in Li-intercalated metal oxide cathodes at the deep charge state upon Li-ion removal, governed by chemical compositions and the resulting electron density of the oxygen atoms. However, similar lattice collapse for metal oxide electrodes in aqueous storage and its mitigation have not been well studied. Herein, we reported the lattice collapse of MnO2 layered birnessite during the aqueous de-sodiation process at high voltage due to the structural water motion, as evidenced by in situ XRD. Unlike non-aqueous Li-intercalated electrodes, Ni-dopants mitigated the lattice collapse of birnessite at deep charge states. Moreover, density functional theory (DFT) calculations showed that Ni doping induces charge depletion of lattice oxygen due to its higher electronegativity than Mn. This charge reduction, in turn, yields a significant decrease in electrostatic repulsion between the oxygens belonging to lattice and structural water. Classical molecular dynamics simulations based on atomic charges obtained from DFT elucidate that Ni-doping facilitates immobilization of structural water in (Ni)MnO2 and prevents lattice collapse upon Na-ion removal. (Ni)MnO2 exempted from lattice collapse shows an improved storage capacity relative to MnO2 while maintaining similar cycling stability.
Resistance and Care in the Time of COVID-19: Archaeology in 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic offered humanity a portal through which we could break with the past and imagine our world anew. This article reviews how over the course of 2020, a series of intersecting crises at the nexus of racism, settler colonialism, climate change, and sexual harassment have prompted acts of resistance and care in the field of archaeology. Throughout the article, we provide concrete suggestions as to how we can continue the work of movements begun over the course of the past year to improve dynamics within our field and use the lessons from our field to improve life for all people in the world and for our planet. [resistance, care, COVID-19, 2020, climate change, #MeToo, restorative justice]
A Comparison of Population Distance and Population Structure Techniques

A number of papers in this symposium “have focused upon the relative theoretical merits of the “population distance” and “population structure” approaches to local human variation. The blood polymorphic, anthropometric, and migrational information collected from 18 south-central Bougainville villages are, at this date, the only data set analyzed by both sorts of techniques (FRIEDLAENDER et al. 1971, FRIEDLAENDER 1971), and the different applications illustrate in a practical way the different aims, as well as the different merits and problems, of the two approaches. Here I would like to review the different sorts of conclusions the techniques have provided, and then present some new analyses from the population structure vantage point.
THE N-FACTOR AS A TOOL IN GEOCRYOLOGICAL MAPPING: SEASONAL THAW IN THE KUPARUK RIVER BASIN, ALASKA

Although maps of active-layer thickness have useful roles in geocryology, polar ecology, and hydrology, a lack of geographically distributed data at appropriate scales has prevented their widespread implementation. The n-factor (ratio of temperature at the soil surface to that in the air) has considerable potential as a tool for mapping active-layer thickness and other geocryological parameters by providing refinements to relatively simple analytic solutions for the depth of thaw. Although temperature data from the soil surface under representative land-cover units have rarely been collected historically, recent advancements in data-logger technology allow the variability of soil-surface temperature regimes to be assessed inexpensively over small temporal and spatial intervals. Temperature data collected in the air at 2 m height and at the soil surface within 10 representative land-cover units in the Kuparuk River region of north-central Alaska were used to compute seasonal n-factor values for specific ve...
Single-Use Energy Sources and Operating Room Time for Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Study Objectives To compare the intraoperative direct costs of a single-use energy device with reusable energy devices during laparoscopic hysterectomy. Design A randomized controlled trial (Canadian Task Force Classification I). Setting An academic hospital. Patients Forty-six women who underwent laparoscopic hysterectomy from March 2013 to September 2013. Interventions Each patient served as her own control. One side of the uterine attachments was desiccated and transected with the single-use device (Ligasure 5-mm Blunt Tip LF1537 with the Force Triad generator). The other side was desiccated and transected with reusable bipolar forceps (RoBi 5 mm), and transected with monopolar scissors using the same Covidien Force Triad generator. The instrument approach used was randomized to the attending physician who was always on the patient's left side. Resident physicians always operated on the patient's right side and used the converse instruments of the attending physician. Measurements and Main Results Start time was recorded at the utero-ovarian pedicle and end time was recorded after transection of the uterine artery on the same side. Costs included the single-use device; amortized costs of the generator, reusable instruments, and cords; cleaning and packaging of reusable instruments; and disposal of the single-use device. Operating room time was $94.14/min. We estimated that our single use-device cost $630.14 and had a total time savings of 6.7 min per case, or 3.35 min per side, which could justify the expense of the device. The single-use energy device had significant median time savings (−4.7 min per side, p Conclusions A single-use energy device that both desiccates and cuts significantly reduced operating room time to justify its own cost, and it also reduced total intraoperative direct costs during laparoscopic hysterectomy in our institution. Operating room cost per minute varies between institutions and must be considered before generalizing our results.
Pathophysiological Mechanisms of Autosomal Dominant Congenital Stromal Corneal Dystrophy: C-Terminal–Truncated Decorin Results in Abnormal Matrix Assembly and Altered Expression of Small Leucine-Rich Proteoglycans

Autosomal-dominant congenital stromal corneal dystrophy (CSCD) is a human genetic disease characterized by corneal opacities beginning shortly after birth. It is linked to a frameshift mutation in decorin, resulting in a C-terminal truncation lacking 33 amino acids that includes the "ear" repeat, a feature specific for small leucine-rich proteoglycans. Our goals are to elucidate the roles of the mutant decorin in CSCD pathophysiology and to decipher the mechanism whereby mutant decorin affects matrix assembly. A novel animal model that recapitulates human CSCD was generated. This transgenic mouse model targets expression of truncated decorin to keratocytes, thereby mimicking the human frameshift mutation. Mutant mice expressed both wild-type and mutant decorin. Corneal opacities were found throughout, with increased severity toward the posterior stroma. The architecture of the lamellae was disrupted with relatively normal lamellae separated by regions of abnormal fibril organization. Within abnormal zones, the interfibrillar spacing and the fibril diameters were increased. Truncated decorin negatively affected the expression of endogenous decorin, biglycan, lumican, and keratocan and positively affected fibromodulin. Our results provide a mechanistic explanation for the generation of corneal opacities in CSCD. Thus, truncated decorin acts in a dominant-negative manner to interfere dually with matrix assembly and binding to receptor tyrosine kinases, thereby causing abnormal expression of endogenous small leucine-rich proteoglycans leading to structural abnormalities within the cornea and vision loss.
HeteroSpark: A heterogeneous CPU/GPU Spark platform for machine learning algorithms

Analytics algorithms on big data sets require tremendous computational capabilities. Spark is a recent development that addresses big data challenges with data and computation distribution and in-memory caching. However, as a CPU only framework, Spark cannot leverage GPUs and a growing set of GPU libraries to achieve better performance and energy efficiency. We present HeteroSpark, a GPU-accelerated heterogeneous architecture integrated with Spark, which combines the massive compute power of GPUs and scalability of CPUs and system memory resources for applications that are both data and compute intensive. We make the following contributions in this work: (1) we integrate the GPU accelerator into current Spark framework to further leverage data parallelism and achieve algorithm acceleration; (2) we provide a plug-n-play design by augmenting Spark platform so that current Spark applications can choose to enable/disable GPU acceleration; (3) application acceleration is transparent to developers, therefore existing Spark applications can be easily ported to this heterogeneous platform without code modifications. The evaluation of HeteroSpark demonstrates up to 18× speedup on a number of machine learning applications.
A unified formulation for interface coupling and frictional contact modeling with embedded error estimation

SUMMARY We present a derivation of a new interface formulation via a merger of continuous Galerkin and discontinuous Galerkin concepts, enhanced by the variational multiscale method. Developments herein provide treatment for the pure-displacement form and mixed form of small deformation elasticity as applied to the solution of two problem classes: domain decomposition and contact mechanics with friction. The proposed framework seamlessly accommodates merger of different element types within subregions of the computational domain and nonmatching element faces along embedded interfaces. These features are retained in the treatment of multibody small deformation contact problems as well, where an unbiased treatment of the contact interface stands in contrast to classical master/slave constructs. Numerical results for problems in two and three spatial dimensions illustrate the robustness and versatility of the proposed method. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessing the feasibility of silica-based media for coal preparation operations: A novel method of carbon feedstock production for the silicon market

Abstract Production of silicon for solar cells and semiconductors requires the use of ultra-clean coal as the main reducing agent in the silicon production process. Most coal preparation plants employ magnetite suspensions as the dense medium in coal cleaning processes. Although downstream operations are designed to remove and recover magnetite, the unavoidable presence of residual magnetite in the final coal product dramatically decreases the purity and suitability of the coal for the silicon market. Given that silicates are the main raw materials in the silicon production, a systematic study through laboratory dense-medium cyclone tests was used to evaluate fine silica-based alternative materials as a substitute for magnetite in coal cleaning operations. These alternative silica materials include byproducts generated during the silicon production process. The results indicate that laboratory tests with silica-based materials were able to achieve similar separation performance when compared to plant operations using magnetite. Following the outcomes of the experimental study, a novel flowsheet arrangement was designed using silica-based media rather than magnetite. If properly implemented, this new separation system can eliminate iron contamination and provide coal that can be marketed as a high-quality silicon feedstock.
Intraventricular hemorrhage as a complication of microscopic polyangiitis

A 50-year-old woman underwent partial lobectomy of left upper lobe of her lung for massive hemoptysis 1 year ago. Although bronchiectasis was initially suspected, common risk factors such as smoking or pulmonary infections were not identified. One month prior to this admission, she presented to our emergency department with fever, dry cough, hematuria, non-nephrotic proteinuria, and a rapid increase in serum creatinine (Cr) to 5.2 mg/dl. She was referred for nephrologic evaluation, and renal biopsy was advised. The patient’s condition on admission deteriorated, with multi-system manifestations of dyspnea and hemoptysis, migratory polyarthralgia, vertigo, tinnitus, and sensorineural hearing loss. The chest radiograph showed a pulmonary infiltrate of the left lower lobe, and active pulmonary hemorrhage was suspected. Laboratory data revealed serum Cr 8.8 mg/dl, hemoglobin 7.1 g/dl, cytoplasmic antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody 0.1 IU/ml (normal), and perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody >177 IU/ml. Renal pathology reported necrotizing and crescentic glomerulonephritis, supporting the clinical diagnosis of microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). The patient experienced severe headaches and altered consciousness change 1 week after admission. Her Glasgow coma score dropped to E2M4V2 within hours. Brain imaging studies showed fourth intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and obstructive hydrocephalus resulted from a blood clot in the foramen magnum (Figures 1 and 2). Cerebral angiography disclosed no evidence of abnormalities in the large vessels leading to the diagnosis of small vessel vasculitis-associated hemorrhage (Supplementary material: Figures 1 and 2). After emergent surgery and steroid therapy, the patient was successfully weaned from temporary hemodialysis without neurologic deficits. In patients with MPA presenting neurological abnormalities, cerebral vasculitis–associated primary IVH should be considered, which may require emergent surgical intervention.
Errors in Variables and Articles A Reply to Fleming

Quasi-experimental evaluations of manpower training may be biased when the mean value of preprogrammed earnings differs for participants and nonparticipants or when the two groups differ in the degree to which they deviate from the long-run trend of earnings. Both sources of bias are addressed in Director (1979).
A leathery lining.

A 44-year-old previously healthy man from Mexico presented with 10 days of abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. The exam was remarkable for decreased left-sided breath sounds, diffuse abdominal tenderness, and mild abdominal distention. Chest radiograph showed a large left pleural effusion. Computed tomography of the abdomen demonstrated a markedly thickened stomach wall, loculated peritoneal fluid collections, paraaortic lymphadenopathy, and omental carcinomatosis (Fig. 1). Thoracentesis was performed and cytopathological examination of the pleural fluid showed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of upper gastrointestinal origin. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a diffusely thickened and rigid stomach indicating extensive intramural malignant infiltration consistent with “linitis plastica” (Fig. 2); gastric biopsy confirmed diffuse-type gastric adenocarcinoma. Figure 1. Computed tomography of the abdomen showed a thickened stomach wall (green arrow), a loculated fluid collection (blue arrow), paraaortic lymphadenopathy (yellow arrow), and omental carcinomatosis (red arrow). Figure 2. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a diffusely thick and rigid stomach consistent with linitis plastica. Originally coined by William Brinton in 1854, linitis plastica, also known as leather bottle stomach, accounts for 3–19 % of all gastric cancers, and portends a poor prognosis.1,2 A case series of 86 patients reported 1-year and 7-year survival rates of 50 % and 8 %, respectively, despite surgical resection.3 In this case, the inelasticity of the patient’s stomach resulted in intractable nausea and vomiting, for which a nasogastric tube was inserted for as-needed suctioning. Given the extent of his tumor burden, the patient was treated with symptomatic management and transitioned to home hospice.
Calcitonin gene-related peptides: their binding sites and receptor accessory proteins in adult mammalian skeletal muscles

Abstract This work addresses the presence, pharmacological properties, and anatomical localization of calcitonin gene-related peptide-α (CGRPα) binding sites and the receptor’s accessory proteins in endplate-enriched and non-endplate muscle membrane samples from adult rat gracilis muscles. We examined the binding of 125 I-[Tyr 0 ]-CGRPα, the competitive binding of CGRPα analogs, the immunohistochemical localization of the receptor’s accessory proteins, and Western blots of the receptor component protein. Results show that: (a) 125 I-[Tyr 0 ]-CGRPα binding is saturable, specific, and consistent with the presence of a homogeneous population of binding sites (Hill coefficients=1.0) in endplate and non-endplate samples exhibiting dissociation constants of 0.39 nM and 0.38 nM, respectively; (b) the density of binding sites in the endplate samples (71.0 fmoles/mg protein) is considerably higher than that in their non-endplate counterparts (34.6 fmoles/mg protein); (c) unlabeled CGRPα, hCGRP8-37 and calcitonin compete with the radioligand with the same order of potency in the endplate and non-endplate samples; and (d) the localization of the receptor accessory proteins, including the receptor activity-modifying protein (RAMP1) and the receptor component protein (RCP), for the most part matches that of the motor end-plates. Thus, gracilis muscles express CGRPα-specific binding sites which are predominantly localized in the muscle’s motor endplate regions where RAMP1, RCP, CGRPα, acetylcholine receptors, and acetylcholinesterase are detected in high concentrations. These findings imply that the CGRPα binding sites reflect the presence of physiologically functional receptors with a pharmacological profile consistent with that of the CGRPα receptor type 1 (CGRP1). When considered together with earlier studies on the same neuromuscular preparation, the present work further suggests that the motoneuron-dependent trophic control of acetylcholine receptors and acetylcholinesterase in skeletal muscle endplates is partly mediated by nerve-derived CGRPα activating specific receptors which are highly sensitive to the truncated peptide hCGRP8-37.
Effects of intestinal resection on enterocyte apoptosis.

Abstract Intestinal resection results in increased numbers of villus and crypt enterocytes. This adaptive response occurs secondary to increased crypt cell proliferation early after resection. Apoptosis also increases in both crypt and villus compartments early after resection. Our aim was to evaluate change in proliferation and apoptosis later during the adaptive period. Eighteen rabbits undergoing 50% proximal intestinal resection were killed 7, 14, or 21 days after resection. Intestine at the resection margin was evaluated before and after resection for morphometry, crypt cell production rate (CCPR), and in situ end labeling of DNA fragmentation. Apoptotic cells were identified by morphologic evaluation. Villus height (382 ± 51 μm vs. 505 ± 131 μm) and crypt depth (121 ± 10 μm vs. 163 ± 21 μm; P P P P P
Biomechanical characterization of blood vessel and plaque from intravascular ultrasound images

The elastic properties of arteries and plaque are difficult to assess due to the technical problems associated with obtaining the required dimensional and stress parameters in vivo. This paper describes a method to determine the biomechanical properties of blood vessels and plaque based on dimensional information obtained from the analysis of intravascular ultrasound images. As a pilot study, two models of a stenotic artery were made that included an eccentric, flexible plaque of known size. These models were submerged in water and imaged at up to 15 axial locations over a static pressure range from 0 to 200 mmHg. Plaque and wall borders were automatically detected using a heuristic graph searching technique. Cross-sectional area changes, dimensional parameters and elastic properties were determined for each location and intraluminal pressure. The incremental elastic modulus of the tube wall was within 8% of the value determined from micrometer measurements. Plaque stiffness was close to that of a fibrous arterial plaque. Cross-sectional changes indicated a radial expansion of the compliant plaque with pressure.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Comment on laser-excited fluorescence line-narrowing: An analytical study.

A recent paper (D. Bolton and J.D. Winefordner, Talanta, 1983,30,9) on the analytical utility of laser-excited fluorescence line-narrowing is critically assessed.
Acid-base reactions on solid surfaces: The reactions of HCOOH, H2CO, and HCOOCH3 with oxygen on Ag(110)

The effect of oxygen adsorbed on a Ag(110) surface on the adsorption and reaction characteristics of HCOOH, H2CO, and HCOOCH3 was examined. No adsorption or reaction of these species was observed on the clean Ag(110) surface. All three reacted readily with adsorbed oxygen, however, to produce stable adsorbed intermediates. HCOOH reacted with adsorbed oxygen to produce two adsorbed formates for each oxygen atom initially adsorbed plus H2O, which desorbed from the surface during adsorption. H2CO reacted with surface oxygen to form an H2CO2 intermediate, which decomposed at 240 K to liberate hydrogen and produce the stable formate. Surface oxygen attacked HCOOCH3 at the acyl carbon to form adsorbed CH3O and HCOO species. The HCOO(a) intermediates formed from HCOOH, H2CO, and HCOOCH3 were indistinguishable. HCOO(a) decomposed with first-order kinetics at 410 K to yield CO2, H2 and traces of HCOOH. These patterns of reactivity clearly identify the chemical nature of adsorbed oxygen as a strong base.
Classification and epidemiology of pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is a complex disease that can be idiopathic, familial, or associated with a wide range of disease processes. This article outlines the classification of primary pulmonary hypertension and discusses the various types of the disease.