cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Glass Transition Temperature of Polymer Films That Slip

When a polymer is modified so that its glass transition temperature, Tg, is decreased (increased) from the inherent value, its dynamics is often supposed to be enhanced (suppressed). For polymer fi...
Microcomputer Terminal Emulator Software Extracts Data and Customizes Reports From an LIS

This article discusses a personal computer–based program developed to expand the capabilities of the laboratory information system without modifying its integral structure. As a computer terminal emulator, this software program, Autonomous Terminal Emulator (ATE), functions like a standard terminal. It can also extract, process, and store data from the mainframe system by recognizing key words and phrases and responding to the mainframe as if a human operator were operating the keyboard. This storage capability is ideal for storing lot-to-date quality control data. These and other features make ATE a valuable asset in laboratory data management.
Antibiotic-Induced Alterations in the Surface Morphology of Bacterial Cells: A Scanning-Beam Electron Microscope Study

and has been reviewed recently by Anstall [1]. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) has provided a means of correlating antibioticinduced biochemical and enzymatic alterations with ultrastructural defects in bacterial cell walls [2]. However, TEM techniques, including shadowing and freeze-etching, have been sufficiently complex to allow visualization of only individual organisms or small numbers of organisms. In contrast, the scanning-beam electron microscope (SEM) allows examination of the surface morphology of large numbers of whole intact microorganisms at high magnification in 3-dimensional perspective [3]. It is the purpose of this paper to report studies in which the SEM was utilized to study the effects of penicillin G, cephalothin, and carbenicillin on the surface morphology of certain strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively.
Screening of a White-rot Fungus with Strong Lignin Degrading Activity

The best strain (Coriolus hirslits IFO 4917 (in this paper, abbreviated as WR 28)) was screened out among 48 strains of white-rot fungi. The optimum pH and the optimum temperature were pH 4 and 33-36°C, respectively. The strain WR 28 was capable of decolorization of lignosulfonate. And lignins of hardwoods, especially poplar (Populus trichocarpa T. & G.) were considerably delignified, however, soft woods, used in this experiment were not delignified except Japanese red pine (Picea resinosa Ait.). With non-woods, the lignin of rice straw (Oryza saliva L.) was not decomposed at all. For manila hemp (Musa texlilis Nee L.) and bamboo (Phylloslachys Sieb. el Zucc.), the degrees of delignification were high (39.0% and 22.0%, respectively, for WR 28). As for WR 28, Bavendamm reaction was positive with several phenols such as Guaiacol, Benzidine, ο-Anisidine, α-Naphthylamine, 2, 5-Xylidine, o-Toluidine and Pyrogallol.Lignins of poplar and bagasse (Saccharuni officinarum L.) were decomposed to a degree of ca. 63% and ca. 80%, respectively, for 2 months.
Minimally invasive surgery to manage a complicated case of a caesarean scar ectopic pregnancy

A 30-year-old woman, gravida 3 para 1, presented at 5 weeks of amenorrhoea with vaginal spotting and mild abdominal pain. A transvaginal scan confirmed a caesarean scar pregnancy (CSP). Serum hCG level at presentation was 4357. She declined treatment initially, but eventually underwent laparoscopic-guided suction curettage and excision of CSP. hCG was undetectable at 5 weeks postoperatively. She had an uneventful recovery and was advised to take oral contraceptives.
On English Reading Skills

The purpose of English reading is to cultivate the abihty to obtain the information. This paper gives some effective ways to develop this ability: understanding the meaning of words; analyzing the organization of paragraphs; enriching the cultural knowledge of English countries.
DNA Barcoding Fishes

This chapter is an overview of the techniques for DNA barcoding of fishes from field collection to DNA sequence analysis. Recommendations for modifications of field protocols and best tissue sampling practices are made. A variety of DNA extraction protocols is provided, including high-throughput robot-assisted methods. A pair of well-tested forward and reverse primers for PCR amplification and sequencing are presented. These primers have been successfully used for DNA barcode on a wide array of marine fish taxa and also work well in most freshwater and cartilaginous fishes. Recipes and cycling protocols for both PCR amplification and sequencing and cleanup methods for the reaction products are provided. A method for the consistent production of high-quality DNA barcodes from DNA sequence data is given and stringent guidelines for judging the quality of raw sequence data are laid out.
Lucid Dreaming in Western Literature

Although Plato wrote that the faculty of reason is suspended during sleep, his pupil, Aristotle, was the first to state clearly, in his treatise On Dreams, that often, when we are asleep, there is something in our consciousness that tells us that what we are experiencing is only a dream. Beyond merely describing lucid dreaming, the “first scientist” also sought to explain how such a thing could happen. He argued that if someone were to place his finger directly in front of your eyes without your observing his doing it, the resulting double image would cause you to believe that you were seeing two fingers. If on the other hand, you were to observe his finger as it nears your eye, you would not be misled by your double vision into believing that there actually were two fingers. “Exactly so it is in the states of sleep,” Aristotle continued, “if the sleeper perceives that he is asleep, and is conscious of the sleeping state during which the perception comes before his mind, it presents itself still, but something within him speaks to this effect: ‘The image of Koriskos presents itself, but the real Koriskos is not present’ ” (Aristotle, 1952, pp. 702–706).
The Nietzschean Free Spirit in Dead Poets Society and Harold and Maude

The various films discussed in the preceding chapters demonstrate existentialist concepts in ways that show both what the existentialists get right about their description of the human condition and what they have missed or failed to take fully into account. What they seem to have missed most is the impact of the social world and life circum-stances on the emergence of a free, authentic self. This is a criticism of existentialism in general that has occurred frequently in theoretical literature, though usually the outcome of those critiques is to set aside existentialism in favor of a different approach altogether.1 I have attempted to show that there remains something vital and compelling about concepts such as freedom, bad faith, authenticity, and the like despite the fact that achieving the ideal existentialist perspective may be more complicated by social context than some of the existentialist writers are willing to admit. For this final analysis of film and existentialism, I will turn to Nietzsche’s concept of the free spirit, because it offers a perspective on freedom that does acknowledge the limitations discussed in preceding chapters while still advocating a form of freedom that is substantive and likely to be the source of meaning in a world of contingent values.
Characterization of the internal background for thermal and fast neutron detection with CLLB

Abstract We report on a set of experiments conducted to determine what effects, if any, the internal background in the CLLB scintillation detector has on the thermal neutron detection performance. We conducted source measurements using an unmoderated and moderated 252 Cf neutron/γ-ray source and long (48-h), unshielded and shielded, background measurements to characterize the internal background with and without a source present. These measurements allowed us to determine the 2- d event selections needed to isolate the thermal neutron peak observed in pulse shape vs. energy space and apply those selections to our background measurements. Our results indicate that the thermal neutron detection capabilities of the CLLB are marginally affected by the presence of internal background. An unmoderated 113-µCi 252 Cf source at 15 cm from the detector yields a thermal neutron rate of 8×10 −2 /s cm 3 , while moderating the source with 5 cm of polyethylene yields a thermal neutron rate of 5.5×10 −1 /s cm 3 . The measured background rate for events that fall within the selected thermal neutron region is 1.2×10 −3 /s cm 3 . Lastly, the potential for CLLB for detecting fast neutrons was investigated.
Structural Analysis of Helios Filament-Wound Tanks Subjected to Internal Pressure and Cooling

A finite-element stress analysis is performed on Helios filament-wound hydrogen tanks to examine the stress field and effect of end dome geometry on the stress field. Each tank is composed of a central circular cylindrical section with either geodesic or hemispherical end domes, which have metallic polar bosses. The tanks are subjected to combined and separate internal pressure and temperature loading conditions, and the stress contributions of each loading component are examined. The tank-wall-polar-boss interfacial meridional tensile stress in the hemispherical dome is found to be approximately 27 percent lower than that in the geodesic dome. The effects of both material anisotropy and the aluminum lining on the intensities of tensile meridional stress at the tank-wall-polar-boss bonding interface are examined.
A simple quasiclassical treatment of bias-dependent carrier capture in quantum wells

Capture of carriers in semiconductor quantum wells (QWs) plays an important role in quantum well-based light emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes (LDs) and photodetectors, and in studies of QW structures and devices by photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL). Carrier injection by forward bias of quantum well LEDs and LDs introduces electrons and holes from larger bandgap cladding layers into single or multiple QWs. In PL and CL studies of QW structures and devices, carriers excited in cladding layers diffuse or drift to QWs under different bias conditions, and captured carriers produced QW luminescence. To better understand bias-dependent CL experiments on II-VI QW-LEDs, a simple, quasiclassical treatment of bias-dependent carrier capture has been developed. Capture probabilities for electrons, holes and excitons have been considered. The assumptions and results of this treatment are described.
Delivery of Taste and Aroma Components in Sugar-Free Chewing Gum: Mass Balance Analysis

Flavor is known as one of the main criteria that influences food choice. For flavor to be perceived, it needs to be released from the food. Prior studies on mechanisms that govern flavor release have largely focused on interactions with food/ingredients and have analyzed a single flavor modality (aroma or taste). The lack of comprehensive methods has limited our understanding of flavor release from food. The aim of this study was to comprehensively monitor flavor release by conducting a mass balance analysis (exhaled air, saliva, and gum bolus) of both volatile aroma and non-volatile taste compounds during mastication of chewing gum. Concentrations of volatiles (ethyl butyrate, benzaldehyde, menthol, menthone, and limonene) and non-volatiles compounds (sorbitol, aspartame, and acesulfame K) were determined over a 12-min mastication time period in expectorated saliva, gum bolus, and exhaled breath (only for volatiles) using LC/MS/MS, GC/MS, and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-MS. The percent release of the volatile compounds during mastication was lower when compared to the non-volatile compounds. The aroma release profile in the exhaled breath was not related to the compound concentration in the saliva or gum bolus. Results suggested the aroma release was primarily controlled by residual levels of these compounds in the oral cavity and/or the lungs. Similarly, the release profiles of the non-volatiles were not concentration dependent during the first 4 min of mastication, suggesting physical entrapment in the gum base and subsequent release when exposed to the oral cavity for extraction via mechanical stress during mastication. Two main mechanisms of flavor delivery from chewing gum were supported based on a mass balance analysis: (1) the renewal of the gum bolus surface area and (2) the absorption of the aroma compounds in the oral cavity or lungs as an important mechanism of aroma release. Our findings provide further insight into mechanisms of flavor delivery and an improved basis to investigate flavor perception of foodstuffs.
Abstract 664: Increased Endothelial Expression of NADPH Oxidase-p47phox in Human Hypertension

Introduction: Hypertensive patients have impaired endothelial-dependent vasodilation. Endothelial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase p47 subunit (p47phox) may contribute to...
Projected Improvements in Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation Using a Novel Breast Stereotactic Radiotherapy Device: A Dosimetric Analysis.

Accelerated partial breast irradiation has caused higher than expected rates of poor cosmesis. At our institution, a novel breast stereotactic radiotherapy device has demonstrated dosimetric distri...
Confirmatory Factor Analysis Applied to the Force Concept Inventory.

Contrary to much concern about the underlying structure of the Force Concept Inventory, confirmatory factor analysis on a large data set supports the original factor structure proposed by the developers.
An Appraisal of Calixto Calderón’s Work in Mathematical Biology

The body of investigative biomathematical work undertaken by Prof. Calixto Calderon is reviewed. The appraisal demonstrates that Prof. Calderon has not only been active in the area of harmonic analysis but has also been an active researcher in the area of mathematical biology and has been a strong proponent of the use of mathematical ideas and techniques in the broad areas of biology and medicine as a way of giving these areas firm systematic support.
The spatial footprint of injection wells in a global compilation of induced earthquake sequences

Fluid injection can cause extensive earthquake activity, sometimes at unexpectedly large distances. Appropriately mitigating associated seismic hazards requires a better understanding of the zone of influence of injection. We analyze spatial seismicity decay in a global dataset of 18 induced cases with clear association between isolated wells and earthquakes. We distinguish two populations. The first is characterized by near-well seismicity density plateaus and abrupt decay, dominated by square-root space-time migration and pressure diffusion. Injection at these sites occurs within the crystalline basement. The second population exhibits larger spatial footprints and magnitudes, as well as a power law–like, steady spatial decay over more than 10 kilometers, potentially caused by poroelastic effects. Far-reaching spatial effects during injection may increase event magnitudes and seismic hazard beyond expectations based on purely pressure-driven seismicity.
Methodological Approaches to Study Extracellular Vesicle miRNAs in Epstein–Barr Virus-Associated Cancers

Epstein Barr-virus (EBV) was the first virus identified to be associated with human cancer in 1964 and is found ubiquitously throughout the world's population. It is now established that EBV contributes to the development and progression of multiple human cancers of both lymphoid and epithelial cell origins. EBV encoded miRNAs play an important role in tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, immune escape, tissue invasion, and metastasis. Recently, EBV miRNAs have been found to be released from infected cancer cells in extracellular vesicles (EVs) and regulate gene expression in neighboring uninfected cells present in the tumor microenvironment and possibly at distal sites. As EVs are abundant in many biological fluids, the viral and cellular miRNAs present within EBV-modified EVs may serve as noninvasion markers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. In this review, we discuss recent advances in EV isolation and miRNA detection, and provide a complete workflow for EV purification from plasma and deep-sequencing for biomarker discovery.
Diagnosis and Surgical Repair of a Chronic Ruptured Cervical Air Sac in a Double Yellow-headed Amazon Parrot (Amazona Ochrocephala Oratrix)

Abstract A 40-year-old male double yellow-headed Amazon parrot (Amazona ochrocephala oratrix) was evaluated for a history of chronic recurrent subcutaneous emphysema. Whole-body radiographs and computed tomography imaging revealed significant subcutaneous emphysema in the right cervical area that was suggestive of a chronic ruptured cervical air sac. Surgical exploration of the right cervical area revealed a 4cm defect in the right cervical air sac. The defect was sutured in a double-layer closure first of the thickened air sac tissue, followed by the subcutaneous layer with 5-0 polydioxanone. Following closure of the skin, the remaining air was aspirated from the subcutaneous space. The patient healed without complication, and on last follow-up approximately 5 months postsurgery, there was no sign of recurrence of subcutaneous emphysema, demonstrating successful primary closure of the chronic ruptured cervical air sac. Surgical management of a chronic air sac rupture was successful in resolving recurrent subcutaneous emphysema in an Amazon parrot. The clinical findings, diagnostic approach, anesthesia, surgical technique, and postoperative outcome are described in this clinical report and can aid clinicians presented with cases of chronic, recurrent subcutaneous emphysema that are refractory to other treatments.
Memory Optimization Techniques for FPGA based CNN Implementations

Deep Learning has played an important role in the classification of images, speech recognition, and natural language processing. Traditionally, these learning algorithms are implemented in clusters of CPUs and GPUs. But with the increase in data size, the models created on CPUs and GPUs are not scalable. Hence we need a hardware model which can be scaled beyond current data and model sizes. This is where FPGA comes into place. With the advancement of CAD tools for FPGAs, the designers do not need to create the architectures of the networks in RTL level using HDLs like Verilog and VHDL. They can use High-level Language like C or C++ to build the models using tools like Xilinx Vivado HLS. Also, the power consumption of FPGA based models for deep learning is substantially low as compared to GPUs. In this paper, we have done an extensive survey of various implementations of FPGA based deep learning architectures with emphasis on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). The CNN architectures presented in the literature consume large memory for the storage of weights and images. It is not possible to store this information in the internal FPGA Block RAM. This paper presents comprehensive servery of the methods and techniques used in literatures to tackle the memory consumption issue and how the data movement between high storage external DDR memory and internal BRAM can be reduced.
Factoring Shape, Pose, and Layout from the 2D Image of a 3D Scene

The goal of this paper is to take a single 2D image of a scene and recover the 3D structure in terms of a small set of factors: a layout representing the enclosing surfaces as well as a set of objects represented in terms of shape and pose. We propose a convolutional neural network-based approach to predict this representation and benchmark it on a large dataset of indoor scenes. Our experiments evaluate a number of practical design questions, demonstrate that we can infer this representation, and quantitatively and qualitatively demonstrate its merits compared to alternate representations.
The Functional Capacity of the Humanlike Robotic Hands

Research on humanlike robotic hands investigates fundamental design, sensing, and control principles that guide the development of advanced hand prostheses. In recent years, many roboticists started using 3D-printed parts for their robots, or even fabricating the entire working prototype using only 3D-printed parts with a few fasteners. Unlike conventional fabricating process, 3D-printing technologies allow robotics researchers to efficiently validate design ideas and easily modify existing prototypes at a low cost. This chapter addresses the challenges of developing a fully functional humanlike robotic hand and its peripheral sensing components via 3D-printing and aims to (1) survey existing prosthetic and humanlike robotic hands from roboticist’s point of view, (2) present mechanical design details for a 3D-printed 20-DOF anthropomorphic robotic hand, and (3) propose innovative design methods for the tactile sensing and actuation.
The lock-in loophole: Using mixed methods to explain patient circumvention of a Medicaid opioid restriction program.

AbstractBackground: Lock-in programs are proliferating among private and public payers to restrict access to controlled substance prescriptions and enhance care coordination for patients exhibiting...
Screening logs from a pilot randomized controlled trial of radical cystectomy versus chemoradiation therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Abstract Introduction and objectives There is growing interest in a bladder preservation approach using chemoradiation therapy with transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT), i.e., combined modality treatment (CMT), for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). We have initiated a pilot study to determine feasibility of conducting a larger-scale clinical trial comparing CMT to radical cystectomy (RC) in patients with MIBC. Here we present the screening logs from the recruitment phase of this trial. Methods Patients who were diagnosed to have MIBC after TURBT between April 2016 and August 2017 and considered to be candidates for surgery were enrolled in this prospective, single center, randomized controlled pilot feasibility trial and scheduled to undergo RC (with neoadjuvant chemotherapy if appropriate) or CMT. Results Of 62 patients screened during the recruitment phase, only 5 were found to be suitable candidates for either treatment modality hence eligible for randomization. The reasons for exclusion were as follows: multifocal disease (n = 24, 40%), variant histology (n = 15, 25%), previous pelvic radiation (n = 6, 10%), severe lower urinary tract symptoms (n = 5, 8.3%), unwillingness to be enrolled (n = 8, 13.3%), and receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (n = 2, 3.3%). One of the 5 eligible patients was randomized to CMT but was subsequently switched to RC because of a high tumor burden, 1 was randomized to RC, 2 were randomized to CMT but subsequently underwent TURBT and were considered ineligible because of extensive bladder disease, and 1 elected to undergo RC. Conclusions We identified many patients with MIBC over a period of 16 months. However, the number of patients eligible to receive chemotherapy and in whom cystectomy and radiation therapy were both valid options was not as high as previously reported in retrospective CMT series. Many patients were excluded after TURBT. Our preliminary data indicate that only a very small subset of patients with MIBC are ideal candidates for CMT. Further research is required to identify patients who are suitable for CMT.
Wide Local Excision of Malignant Melanoma With or Without Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy

This chapter describes the surgical procedure for wide local excision of malignant melanoma with or without sentinel lymph node biopsy. The text includes an introduction that outlines the indications, risks, alternatives, essential steps, needed equipment, and variations in technique for the procedure in question. This is followed by a template operative dictation, which provides the reader with an operative report, such as is found in a patient chart or electronic medical record. Because melanoma can arise in multiple anatomic locations, the surgical approach and technique will vary based on the primary tumor location, thickness, and other characteristics.
The thermal and mechanical properties of hafnium orthosilicate: Experiments and first-principles calculations

Abstract Hafnium orthosilicate (HfSiO4: hafnon) has been proposed as an environmental barrier coating (EBC) material to protect silicon and silicon-based ceramic materials at high temperatures and as a candidate dielectric material in microelectronic devices. It can naturally form at the interface between silicon dioxide (SiO2) and hafnia (HfO2). When used as an EBC its coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) should match that of the protecting layer (e.g. silicon and SiC composites) to reduce the stored elastic strain energy, and thus the risk of failure of these systems. In this work, the physical, mechanical, thermodynamic and thermal transport properties of hafnon have been investigated using a combination of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimental assessments. The average linear coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) calculated using the quasi-harmonic approximation increase from 3.06 × 10−6 K − 1 to 6.36 × 10−6 K − 1, as the temperature increases from 300 to 1500 K, in agreement with both X-ray diffraction lattice parameter and dilatometry measurements. The predicted thermal conductivity from Boltzmann transport theory is approximately 16.1 W/m.K at 300 K. The thermal conductivity of our samples using both hot disk and laser flash measurements gave a value of 13.3 W/m.K. This slightly lower value is expected and is indicative of residual disorder in the experimental samples, which is absent in the theoretical analysis. First-principles calculations and nanoindentation techniques are used to assess the ambient temperature elastic constants and bulk modulus respectively. The elastic properties obtained by both approaches agreed to within 5%, validating the computational approach and its future use for the study of the thermomechanical properties of other oxides or silicates.
Image-Computable Ideal Observers for Tasks with Natural Stimuli.

An ideal observer is a theoretical model observer that performs a specific sensory-perceptual task optimally, making the best possible use of the available information given physical and biological...
CHILDREN WITH GENETIC DISORDERS UNDERGOING OPEN-HEART SURGERY: ARE THEY AT INCREASED RISK FOR POSTOPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS?

Objective Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) and genetic disorders (GD) are felt to be at higher risk for postoperative complications compared to children with CHD alone. The aim of the present study was to determine the differences in post bypass complications between these two groups. Methods Between 2004 to 2006, 160 infants ( Results We enrolled 111 children with CHD alone (63 males; 48 females) and 49 children with CHD and GD (20 males, 29 females). The majority of infants with GD had trisomy 21 (n = 24), 5 had microdeletion 22q11 and 20 had other genetic defects. Children with CHD and GD were born with a lower gestational age (median 38+3 vs. 39+1; p = 0.004) and a lower birth weight (median 2808 g vs. 3170 g; p = 0.0009). No significant differences regarding mortality, pulmonary arterial hypertension, chylothorax, thrombosis, re-intubation, cardiac rhythm disturbances, diaphragmatic paralysis, sepsis, seizures or renal insufficiency was found between the two groups. However, in the regression analysis, GD was an independent risk factor for renal insufficiency (p = 0.01). Conclusions Overall, infants with CHD and GD were not at increased risk for postoperative complications compared to infants with CHD alone except for renal insufficiency.
Comparative Safety of Sleeve Gastrectomy and Gastric Bypass: An Instrumental Variables Approach.

OBJECTIVE To compare the safety of sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass in a large cohort of commercially insured bariatric surgery patients from the IBM MarketScan claims database, while accounting for measurable and unmeasurable sources of selection bias in who is chosen for each operation. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Sleeve gastrectomy has rapidly become the most common bariatric operation performed in the United States, but its longer-term safety is poorly described, and the risk of worsening gastroesophageal reflux requiring revision may be higher than previously thought. Prior studies comparing sleeve gastrectomy to gastric bypass are limited by low sample size (in randomized trials) and selection bias (in observational studies). METHODS Instrumental variables analysis of commercially insured patients in the IBM MarketScan claims database from 2011 to 2018. We studied patients undergoing bariatric surgery from 2012 to 2016. We identified re-interventions and complications at 30 days and 2 years from surgery using Comprehensive Procedural Terminology and International Classification of Disease (ICD)-9/10 codes. To overcome unmeasured confounding, we use the prior year's sleeve gastrectomy utilization within each state as an instrumental variable-exploiting variation in the timing of payers' decisions to cover sleeve gastrectomy as a natural experiment. RESULTS Among 38,153 patients who underwent bariatric surgery between 2012 and 2016, the share of sleeve gastrectomy rose from 52.6% (2012) to 75% (2016). At 2 years from surgery, patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy had fewer re-interventions (sleeve 9.9%, bypass 15.6%, P < 0.001) and complications (sleeve 6.6%, bypass 9.6%, P = 0.001), and lower overall healthcare spending ($47,891 vs $55,213, P = 0.003), than patients undergoing gastric bypass. However, at the 2-year mark, revisions were slightly more common in sleeve gastrectomy than in gastric bypass (sleeve 0.6%, bypass 0.4%, P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In a large cohort of commercially insured patients, sleeve gastrectomy had a superior safety profile to gastric bypass up to 2 years from surgery, even when accounting for selection bias. However, the higher risk of revisions in sleeve gastrectomy merits further exploration.
How to Have (Critical) Method in a Pandemic: Outlining a Culture-Centered Approach to Health Discourse Analysis

In this elucidative essay, we offer a broad outline of the culture-centered approach to health discourse analysis as a warrant for the relevance of critical health communication amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. While there is a proliferation of methods and approaches to health discourse analysis, we outline one broad approach, based on the theoretical tenets and political commitments of CCA. In particular, we emphasize (a) the heuristic value of the CCA's primary and theoretical components-the matrix of culture, structure, and agency, and (b) the importance of exploring discursive erasure as two central principles that guide analysis within this framework. Given the range and scale of existing and likely future transformations in social, political, and cultural understandings of health in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, we offer, through this "how to" essay, a rationale for the continued relevance of critical health communication.
The Key is Left under the Mat: On the Inappropriate Security Assumption of Logic Locking Schemes

Logic locking has been proposed as an obfuscation technique to protect outsourced IC designs from IP piracy by untrusted entities in the design and fabrication process. In this case, the netlist is locked by adding extra key-gates, and will be unlocked only if a correct key is applied to the key-gates. The key is assumed to be written into a non-volatile memory after the fabrication by the IP owner. In the past several years, the focus of the research community has been mostly on Oracle-guided attacks, such as SAT attacks, on logic locking and proposing proper countermeasures against such attacks. However, none of the reported research in the literature has ever challenged a more fundamental assumption of logic locking, which is the security of the key itself. In other words, if an adversary can read out the correct key after insertion, the security of the entire scheme is broken. In this work, we first review possible adversaries for the locked circuits and their capabilities. Afterward, we demonstrate that even with the assumption of having a tamper- and read-proof memory for the key storage, which is not vulnerable to any physical attacks, the key transfer between the memory and the key-gates through registers and buffers make the key extraction by an adversary possible. To support our claim, we implemented a proof-of-concept locked circuit as well as one of the standard logic locking benchmarks on an FPGA manufactured with a 28 nm technology and extract obfuscation keys using optical probing. Finally, we discuss the feasibility of the proposed attack in different scenarios and propose potential countermeasures.
Indirect signs of aortic dissection on POC-TTE despite an ADD-RS of 0 and D-dimer < 500 ng/mL: A case report.

Aortic dissection (AD) is a "can't miss" diagnosis for emergency physicians. An algorithm combining the Aortic Dissection Detection Risk Score (ADD-RS) with D-dimer has been proposed as a high-sensitivity clinical decision tool for AD that can determine the need for advanced imaging. Here we present a case of a 48-year-old male who presented to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain and dyspnea. He had an ADD-RS score of 0 and negative D-dimer, which placed him in the low-risk category not requiring further advanced imaging. Despite this, he was found to have a pericardial effusion and dilated aortic root on point-of-care transthoracic echocardiogram (POC-TTE). These findings increased suspicion for AD and prompted the emergency physician to order a computed tomography angiography (CTA), revealing a thoracic AD. The patient successfully underwent surgical repair. This case demonstrates that the ADD-RS + D-dimer algorithm would have erroneously ruled out AD, without the inclusion of indirect findings of AD from the POC-TTE. This highlights the value of using POC-TTE as an adjunct to the ADD-RS + D-dimer algorithm in the diagnostic evaluation of AD and how giving more weight to indirect signs of AD on POC-TTE could potentially increase the sensitivity of the combined ADD-RS + D-dimer + POC-TTE algorithm.
Black Community Conversations About Opposing Ethnically Targeted Marketing of Unhealthy Foods and Beverages.

Efforts to reduce disparities in obesity prevalence affecting Black Americans are having limited success. One reason for this may be the disproportionate, ethnically targeted marketing of foods and beverages high in fat and sugar (FBHFS) to Black consumers. Such marketing promotes high consumption of FBHFS, leading to excess caloric intake and unintentional weight gain. We convened focus groups with Black men and women (total n = 57) in collaboration with community groups in three localities to elicit their views, as consumers and parents/caregivers, about targeted FBHFS marketing and potential ways to combat it. At each location, trained community members facilitated two sets of focus groups: one for adults aged 18 to 25 years and another for adults aged 26 to 55 years who had a 3-to-17-year-old child at home. Each group met twice to discuss food and beverage marketing practices to Black communities and reviewed a booklet about ethnically targeted marketing tactics in between. A directed content analysis of participant comments identified and explored salient themes apparent from initial summarization of results. Results show how parents are concerned with and critical of pervasive FBHFS marketing. In particular, comments emphasize the involvement of Black celebrities in FBHFS marketing—how and why they engage in such marketing and whether this could be shifted towards healthier foods. These findings suggest a potential role for counter marketing efforts focused on Black celebrity endorsements of FBHFS, possibly with a youth focus. They also underscore the need for additional, qualitative exploration of Black consumer views of ethnically targeted FBHFS marketing more generally.
Constitutionalism Reborn: Popular Sovereignty and Constitutional Conventions in the US and UK

As Conservatives have come to dominate the US Supreme Court, originalist interpretation methods will determine constitutional disputes. While the Court rejects the use of comparative constitutional law to interpret the Constitution, even its Conservative members accept the legitimacy of resorting to British sources, if the language of the Constitution was derived from the UK. This practice of reliance on British precedents seems natural yet perplexing. It is natural because the US seceded from the UK. It is perplexing since the US constitutional revolution stands for rejection of the British model of parliamentary sovereignty. This Article intends to redefine the relationship between the US and UK constitutional models. While the literature perceives the two as polar-opposites, I suggest that there is, in fact, a common Anglo-American constitutional model, which has been informing the US’ character since its founding. It is not that we misunderstood the American model of popular sovereignty and supreme Constitution. Rather, we did not realize that parallel developments were taking place in the UK. The political actors on both sides of the pond were aware of this reality, but the jurisprudence missed it. Shifting the paradigm and accepting the existence of this common model will enable us to grapple with the most burning current dilemmas of our time on both sides of the Atlantic. It lends new legitimacy to examining British sources to better understand American constitutional law, even if the textual provision per se is not attributable to the UK. We may now study how the common model intended the dynamics between the different constitutional actors to play out. While the US felt powerless to deal with a President who does not care for constitutional norms, the Article reveals how the model designated enforcement mechanisms for constitutional norms/conventions, including court packing and judicial review. British debates on reforming an obstructionist second chamber resonate with current American discourse on reforming the US Supreme Court and the Senate. Both American institutions were modeled after the House of Lords. The Article develops the two types of court packing justified in the US under the common model to remedy breach of constitutional norms. It further discusses the inevitability of filibuster reform. Similarly, while Brexit is incomprehensible in a parliamentary sovereignty system, Parliament’s reluctant adherence to the 2016 “consultative” referendum’s results is a natural outgrowth of the common Anglo-American rule of the People.
Entangling atomic spins with a Rydberg-dressed spin-flip blockade

Tunable interactions in quantum many-body systems have practical applications in quantum technologies. The effective spin-dependent long-range interaction known as Rydberg dressing is now exploited to entangle a pair of ultracold neutral atoms.
A statistical analysis of neural computation

Summary form only given. This paper presents an architecture and learning algorithm for a feedforward neural network implementing a two pattern (image) classifier. By considering the input pixels to be random variables, a statistical binary hypothesis (likelihood ratio) test is implemented. A linear threshold separates p[X|H/sub 0/] and p[X|H/sub 1/], minimizing a risk function. In this manner, a single neuron is considered as a BSC with the PDF error tails under the threshold yielding the cross-over probability /spl epsi/. A single layer of neurons is viewed as a parallel bank of independent BSC's. Which is equivalent to a single effective BSC representing that layer's hypothesis testing performance. A multiple layer network is viewed as a cascade of BSC channels, and which again collapses into a single effective BSC. The effective BSC channel capacity is examined as the information theoretic ability of the network to extract the single bit of information encoded in the multidimensional input vector and pass the resulting fractional information bit of information to the one dimensional output "decision" variable. >
Abstract 4541: Dual targeting of CDK4 and MEK as a combination treatment strategy for metastatic colorectal cancer

Aberrant hyperactivation of KRAS plays a prominent role in tumor initiation and progression of a broad spectrum of human malignancies. The incidence of KRAS mutations is especially high in colorectal cancers, where it occurs at a frequency of roughly 50%. The present study addresses the hypothesis that dual targeting of CDK4 and MEK represents a viable treatment strategy for the subpopulation of colorectal cancers exhibiting hyperactivated KRAS signaling. We have generated both in vitro and in vivo data in highly passaged colorectal xenograft models to provide compelling support for further exploration of this combination treatment strategy. We have now turned to the study of primary human models that are anticipated to be more predictive of ultimate clinical activity in patients. A heterogeneous panel of low passage colorectal patient-derived xenografts (PDX) has been established from biospecimens procured during patient surgeries conducted at our institution (n=12). All xenograft models have been genomically profiled and their histologies mimicked those observed in the original samples. As anticipated, approximately half of these models harbor an oncogenic KRAS mutation and exhibit widely differing histologies, consistent with the heterogeneity encountered in the clinic. Immunoblotting analysis has further revealed that that the majority (>80%) are positive for both phosphorylated RB and constitutive pERK expression and are therefore candidates for treatment regimens combining inhibitors of CDK4 and MEK. Employing the CDK4 inhibitor palbociclib and multiple MEK inhibitors, in vivo efficacy studies are ongoing against our colorectal PDX panel. Preliminary data have shown a higher frequency of regressions in the combination arm compared to either single agent arm at the respective maximum tolerated doses. Our results therefore suggest that combined inhibition of CDK4 and MEK may provide an attractive therapeutic strategy for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Citation Format: Elizabeth Ziemke, Joseph Dosch, Amrith Shettigar, Shanshan Wan, Theodore Welling, Karin Hardiman, Judith Sebolt-Leopold. Dual targeting of CDK4 and MEK as a combination treatment strategy for metastatic colorectal cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4541. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4541
Patterning of the zebrafish embryo by nodal signals.

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes the significant contribution that research on zebrafish has made toward identifying components of the nodal signaling pathway and defining the functions of nodal proteins during development. Nodal signals are essential for establishing the body plan of vertebrate embryos. Nodal proteins are secreted signaling factors in the transforming growth factor β (TGF β) family that have been found in every vertebrate. In zebrafish, two Nodal-related proteins, Cyclops (Cyc) and Squint (Sqt), have been characterized. Cyc and Sqt are synthesized as proproteins, which are cleaved to make the mature form. The chapter reveals that the cyc and sqt genes have distinct, dynamic expression patterns in the embryo. These expression patterns reflect the complex roles of nodal signals during development and are important for understanding when and where patterning is taking place. In zebrafish and other vertebrates nodal proteins are involved in multiple patterning events during development, including initial specification of the endoderm and mesoderm, formation of the ventral neural tube, and regulation of left–right asymmetry.
Flow through porous media with multifractal hydraulic conductivity

[1] We make a nonlinear analysis of flow through saturated porous media when the hydraulic conductivity K is an isotropic lognormal field with multifractal scale invariance. In this case, logK is isotropic Gaussian with spectral density , where D is the space dimension. Our main result is that the hydraulic gradient ∇H and specific flow q are also multifractal fields, whose renormalization under space contraction involves random rotation of the field and random scaling of its amplitude. The scaling properties and marginal distributions of ∇H and q are obtained analytically as functions of the space dimension D and a multifractal parameter of K (the codimension CK). The fields ∇H and q are anisotropic at large scales but approach isotropy at very small scales. Using scaling arguments, we obtain the effective conductivity of the medium Keff as an explicit function of D, CK, and the scaling range of K.
Respiratory Management During the First Five Days After Spinal Cord Injury

Respiratory complications are the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in acute spinal cord injury (SCI), with an incidence of 36% to 83%. Eighty percent of deaths in patients hospitalized with cervical SCI are secondary to pulmonary dysfunction, with pneumonia the cause in 50% of the cases. The number of respiratory complications during the acute hospital stay contributes significantly to the length of hospital stay and cost. Four factors (use of mechanical ventilation, pneumonia, the need for surgery, and use of tracheostomy) explain nearly 60% of hospital costs and may be as important a predictor of hospital cost as level of injury. Atelectasis (36.4%), pneumonia (31.4%), and ventilatory failure (22.6%) are the most common complications during the first 5 days after injury. Ventilatory failure occurs on average 4.5 days after injury. Transfer to an SCI center specializing in acute management of tetraplegia has been shown to significantly reduce the number of respiratory complications. This review concentrates on the first 5 days after injury, focusing on complications, predictive factors, prevention, and management of those complications.
Comparative outcomes of β-lactam antibiotics in outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy: treatment success, readmissions and antibiotic switches

OBJECTIVES β-Lactam antibiotics are commonly used in outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT), but data regarding outcomes of long-term therapy are limited. The purpose of this study was to compare treatment success, readmission and antibiotic switch rates in patients treated with β-lactam antibiotics as OPAT. METHODS We carried out a retrospective review of all patients, discharged from Tufts Medical Center with cefazolin, ceftriaxone, ertapenem or oxacillin, between January 2009 and June 2013. A competing risks analysis was used to compare the cumulative incidence of first occurrence of treatment success, antibiotic switch and 30 day readmission for each drug. RESULTS Four hundred patients were identified (cefazolin n = 38, ceftriaxone n = 104, ertapenem n = 128 and oxacillin n = 130). Baseline demographics were similar. Treatment success rates were higher for ceftriaxone and ertapenem (cefazolin 61%, ceftriaxone 81%, ertapenem 73% and oxacillin 58%; P < 0.001). Thirty-day all-cause readmissions were similar (cefazolin 21%, ceftriaxone 14%, ertapenem 20% and oxacillin 15%; P = 0.46). In 400 OPAT courses, 37 out of 50 antibiotic switches were accomplished without readmission. Adverse drug events (ADEs) were the most common reason for outpatient antibiotic switches (31/37, 84%). The ADE rate was higher for the oxacillin group (cefazolin 2.0 versus ceftriaxone 1.5 versus ertapenem 2.9 versus oxacillin 8.4 per 1000 OPAT days; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS OPAT with β-lactam antibiotics is effective, but antibiotic switches for adverse events were more frequent with oxacillin use. Clinicians should be cognizant of the risk of readmissions and ADEs in OPAT patients, as the value of OPAT lies in reducing patient morbidity and readmissions by managing ADEs and preventing clinical failures.