cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CRT-100.96 Independent Predictors of Reduced Cranial Radiation Exposure Among Physicians Performing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Reports of left-sided brain malignancies and premature cataract formation among interventional cardiologists have heightened concerns regarding physician cranial radiation exposure. This study investigated independent predictors of physician cranial radiation exposure during percutaneous coronary
Looking for Mature Faith in the Missions of Religiously Affiliated Institutions of Higher Education

ABSTRACTIn this study, we investigated Benson, Donahue, and Erikson's (1993) concept of faith maturity as expressed by institutions of higher education (IHE) claiming religious affiliation. We examined the institutional mission statements of 87 schools affiliated with six Protestant denominations in search of evidence of their intention to develop the Vertical (V) and Horizontal (H) dimensions of faith maturity (Benson, Donahue, & Erikson, 1993). Contrary to this conceptualization of a mature faith, expressions of V and H dimensions were negatively correlated. There was considerable variability in the expression of both V and H dimensions, with Southern Baptist institutions being highest in the V dimension, and United Church of Christ and Lutheran institutions being highest in the H dimension. Although expression of V and H characteristics did not match Benson et al.'s definition of a mature faith, there was some evidence these dimensions corresponded with institutional practices related to relevant stude...
The grid as algorithm for land use: a reappraisal of the 1811 Manhattan grid

Manhattan’s 1811 street grid defined the spatial framework for urbanization. Existing scholarship, however, has not empirically examined its role in determining land-use geography. By mid-nineteent...
Creating Naptime: An Overnight, Nonpharmacologic Intensive Care Unit Sleep Promotion Protocol

Introduction:Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) have significantly disrupted sleep. Sleep disruption is believed to contribute to ICU delirium, and ICU delirium is associated with increased ...
Chebyshev polynomial representation of imaginary-time response functions

Problems of finite-temperature quantum statistical mechanics can be formulated in terms of imaginary (Euclidean) -time Green's functions and self-energies. In the context of realistic Hamiltonians, the large energy scale of the Hamiltonian (as compared to temperature) necessitates a very precise representation of these functions. In this paper, we explore the representation of Green's functions and self-energies in terms of a series of Chebyshev polynomials. We show that many operations, including convolutions, Fourier transforms, and the solution of the Dyson equation, can straightforwardly be expressed in terms of the series expansion coefficients. We then compare the accuracy of the Chebyshev representation for realistic systems with the uniform-power grid representation, which is most commonly used in this context.
Authoritarians don’t deliberate: Cultivating deliberation and resisting authoritarian tools in an age of global nationalism

While research has demonstrated the effectiveness of deliberative practices applied to mini-publics, the extent to which these smaller, specialized communities of deliberation can be scaled-up or reflect national level practices of governance is in doubt. This gap in research is critical in today’s age with the rise of global authoritarian politics coming at the hand of populist national parties. In this essay, we call on deliberative democracy scholars to examine the larger societal forces inhibiting deliberative practices by focusing on the changes in society which lead to the adoption and success of authoritarian policies and messaging strategies globally. In doing so, we take a macro view to explain how and why authoritarian practices are spreading transnationally by first, briefly explaining the differences between authoritarian and deliberative practices before developing a model of authoritarian communication technique based on Ellul’s (1973) work on propaganda. We then apply this model to three case studies showing the modern evolution and spread of authoritarianism from nations such as China and Russia and the subsequent adoption of these techniques within the US. Finally, we suggest interventions designed to stem the tide of global authoritarianism.
Rotation symmetric structure in control systems and related stability analysis

The concepts of rotation symmetric structure, symmetric canonical form and symmetric order are defined for linear control systems. It is shown from the results of this paper that the controll systems with rotation symmetry can be transformed to the symmetric canonical form using an appropriate transformation. From this, a new method for proving the stability of control systems with the special structure os proposed. The related stabiliability analysis and control structure are also given in this paper.
Neonatal Antibiotic Use: What Are We Doing and Where Shall We Go?

Antibiotic stewardship aims to ensure that clinicians administer the right antibiotics, to the right patients, for the right reasons. These principles are being widely applied in medical care, but have been particularly challenging in the NICU. Infectious risk factors and clinical instability are common among neonatal patients, and lead to significant cumulative antibiotic exposures in the NICU setting. Both the frequency with which antibiotics are administered and the potential unintended consequences of antibiotic administration differ between preterm and term infants. Multiple metrics are available to measure antibiotic use, yet no single measure is universally applied to neonatal stewardship.
Realtime Rooftop Landing Site Identification and Selection in Urban City Simulation.

Safe autonomous landing in urban cities is a necessity for the growing Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) industry. In urgent situations, building rooftops, particularly flat rooftops, can provide local safe landing zones for small UAS. This paper investigates the real-time identification and selection of safe landing zones on rooftops based on LiDAR and camera sensor feedback. A visual high fidelity simulated city is constructed in the Unreal game engine, with particular attention paid to accurately generating rooftops and the common obstructions found thereon, e.g., ac units, water towers, air vents. AirSim, a robotic simulator plugin for Unreal, offers drone simulation and control and is capable of outputting video and LiDAR sensor data streams from the simulated Unreal world. A neural network is trained on randomized simulated cities to provide a pixel classification model. A novel algorithm is presented which finds the optimum obstacle-free landing position on nearby rooftops by fusing LiDAR and vision data.
Lung Cancer–Related Mortality With Inhaled Insulin or a Comparator: Follow-Up Study of patients previously enrolled in Exubera Controlled Clinical Trials (FUSE) Final Results

OBJECTIVE The Follow-Up Study of patients previously enrolled in Exubera controlled clinical trials (FUSE) was designed to evaluate whether patients previously treated with Exubera (EXU; insulin human [rDNA origin], inhaled powder) in controlled clinical trials died because of incident primary lung cancer at a substantially higher rate than patients treated with a comparator. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS FUSE is a hybrid, randomized, controlled trial/cohort study including participants of 17 prior EXU clinical trials. Pooled patient data from these trials were used, and the subset of patients enrolled in the follow-up cohort study was followed prospectively for 2 years in order to evaluate the incidence of fatal and nonfatal primary lung cancers and all-cause mortality. RESULTS There were 24,409 person-years (PY) of observation among 7,439 trial patients, with 4,017 PY (16.5%) from the period after the trials but before the prospective follow-up and 5,299 PY (21.7%) from the prospective follow-up. Just over half of the 2,631 patients (51.6%) in the prospective follow-up were randomized to EXU in the original trial. The incidence density ratio was 2.8 (95% CI 0.5, 28.5) for lung cancer–related mortality and 3.7 (95% CI 1.0, 20.7) for incident primary lung cancer. The hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was 0.81 (95% CI 0.60, 1.10). CONCLUSIONS These data cannot exclude an increased risk of lung cancer–related mortality associated with EXU use. If real, the absolute increased risk of lung cancer–related mortality was small (0.48 cases per 1,000 PY). For all-cause mortality—the most reliably measured end point with the clearest interpretation—EXU users did not experience an excess all-cause death rate (relative or absolute) compared with users of other diabetes treatments over the study period.
Area under the expiratory flow-volume curve (AEX): actual versus approximated values.

Previous work has shown that area under the expiratory flow–volume curve (AEX) performs well in diagnosing and stratifying respiratory physiologic impairment, thereby lessening the need to measure lung volumes. Extending this prior work, the current study assesses the accuracy and utility of several geometric approximations of AEX based on standard instantaneous flows. These approximations can be used in spirometry interpretation when actual AEX measurements are not available. We analysed 15 308 spirometry tests performed on subjects who underwent same-day lung volume assessments in the Pulmonary Function Laboratory. Diagnostic performance of four AEX approximations (AEX1–4) was compared with that of actual AEX. All four computations included forced vital capacity (FVC) and various instantaneous flows: AEX1 was derived from peak expiratoryflow (PEF); AEX2 from PEF and forced expiratoryflow at 50% FVC (FEF50); AEX3 from FVC, PEF, FEF at 25% FVC (FEF25) and at 75% FVC (FEF75), while AEX4 was computed from all four flows, PEF, FEF25, FEF50 and FEF75. Mean AEX, AEX1, AEX2, AEX3 and AEX4 were 6.6, 8.3, 6.7, 6.3 and 6.1 L2/s, respectively. All four approximations had strong correlations with AEX, that is, 0.95–0.99. Differences were the smallest for AEX–AEX4, with a mean of 0.52 (95% CI 0.51 to 0.54) and a SD of 0.75 (95% CI 0.74 to 0.76) L2/s. In the absence of AEX and in addition to the usual spirometric variables used for assessing functional impairments, parameters such as AEX4 can provide reasonable approximations of AEX and become useful new tools in future interpretative strategies.
Open-Source FPGA Implementation of Post-Quantum Cryptographic Hardware Primitives

The development and implementation of post-quantum cryptosystems have become pressing issues in the design of secure computing systems, as general quantum computers have become more feasible in recent years. In this paper, we introduce a set of FPGA-based post-quantum cryptographic primitives (PQCPs) consisting of four frequently used security components, i.e., public key cryptosystem (PKC), key exchange (KEX), oblivious transfer (OT), and zero-knowledge proof (ZKP). The three main contributions of this work are: (1) FPGA-tailored implementation of the hardware primitives with novel algorithmic proposals of the OT and ZKP; (2) algorithmic optimizations to reduce area and latency costs without compromising security; and (3) open-sourcing the synthesizable and fully verifiable code for the community at large. The RTL code base is fully parameterizable with an efficient, n-point Number-Theoretic Transform (NTT) module for fast polynomial multiplications. These primitives will aid researchers and designers in constructing quantum-proof secure computing systems to prepare for the post-quantum era. Implementation results, on an Zynq-7000 FPGA, show various design trade-offs and correlations between system parameters and the associated hardware cost and latency. The source code for this project is available on the ASCS Lab website at the following URL: http://ascslab.org/research/pqcp/index.html.
State-funded militant infrastructure? CERFI’s équipements collectifs in the intellectual history of architecture

‘Militant’ research that interrogates the operations of the modern state is not often state-funded; even less common is the conception of architecture as a militant practice. Yet these two conditio...
DESTRUCTION OF CYTOCHROME P-450 BY LINOLEIC ACID HYDROPEROXIDE

Increasing concentrations of linoleic acid hydroperoxide (10-250 μM) destroyed increasing amounts of P-450 hemoprotein in hepatic microsomes from untreated, phenobarbital-treated and 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats. Loss of P-450 hemoprotein in microsomes from untreated and phenobarbital-treated rats was biphasic; 50% was destroyed at low concentrations of linoleic acid hydroperoxide (50 μM or less) and only about half of that which remained was destroyed at relatively high concentrations (150 μM or more). The labile P-450 hemoprotein was designated P-450 (11) , the stable, P-450 (1s) . The loss of P-450 hemoprotein in microsomes from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats was not biphasic and most of the hemoprotein was in the stable form. Almost all of the monooxygenase activity (ethylmorphine N-demethylase; aniline hydroxylase) and type I binding (hexobarbital) is associated with P-450 (11) . Microsomal NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activities and cytochrome b 5 levels were not affected by linoleic acid hydroperoxide until high concentrations were reached (150 μM or more). NADH-cytochrome c reductase activity was similarly unaffected by linoleic acid hydroperoxide in microsomes from untreated rats, but was greatly elevated in microsomes from phenobarbital-treated rats. NADPH oxidase activity was unaffected by linoleic acid hydroperoxide in microsomes from untreated rats. These results led to the conclusion that P-450 (11) functions in the oxidation of exogenous substrates, that P-450 (1s) functions in the oxidation of endogenous substrates, and that the two functions are essentially independent of each other.
Comparison of Ideal Transformer Method and Damping Impedance Method for PV Power-Hardware-In-The-Loop Experiments

The Ideal Transformer Method (ITM) and the Damping Impedance Method (DIM) are the most widely used techniques for connecting power equipment to a Power-Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHIL) real-time simulation. Both methods have been studied for their stability and accuracy in PHIL simulations, but neither have been analyzed when the hardware is providing grid-support services with volt-var, frequency-watt, and fixed power factor functions. In this work, we experimentally validate the two methods of connecting a physical PV inverter to a PHIL system and evaluate them for dynamic stability and accuracy when operating with grid-support functions. It was found that the DIM Low Pass Lead Filter (LPF LD) method was the best under unity and negative power factor conditions, but the ITM LPF LD method was preferred under positive power factor conditions.
Jet splitting measurements in Pb–Pb and pp collisions at sNN=5.02TeV with ALICE

Abstract Recent ALICE measurements of jet splittings in Pb–Pb and pp collisions at s NN = 5.02 TeV are reported. These measurements scan the phase space of jet emissions in search of medium-induced signals which are expected to emerge at different scales. These include effects such as multiple soft-radiation, single hard emissions, and color coherence. The Lund plane diagram is shown, including projections onto distributions of the splitting scale kT in intervals of the splitting angle Rg. Soft Drop grooming is applied to access hard splittings within the jet, enabling measurements of groomed substructure variables. These include the shared momentum fraction zg between the two hardest subjets and the number of Soft Drop splittings nSD. The results in Pb–Pb collisions are compared to PYTHIA events embedded into a Pb–Pb background to separate out background from in-medium effects. Measurements of zg and the normalized splitting angle θg will also be shown in pp collisions at s NN = 5.02 TeV for different grooming settings.
Engraftment syndrome following hematopoietic stem cell transplant: A review of the literature

Engraftment syndrome (ES) is a poorly understood condition which continues to present a significant cause of morbidity following haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Yet a standard approach to diagnosis and treatment of ES remains elusive and has the potential to impact patient outcomes. A literature search was performed using the databases ProQuest Health, PubMed, Medline and Embase. Included studies were published in English from 2001-2019 that reported on engraftment syndrome following HSCT. Articles were organized by study design, ES diagnostic criteria, symptom classification and treatment. The review consolidated an array of literature relating to all types of HSCT. Timing of ES onset, risk factors and outcomes were compared within the literature. Signs and symptoms of reported ES were collated to establish a concise set of diagnostic criteria that can provide rapid recognition. The use of a standard approach to ES diagnosis has the potential to improve patient outcomes and provide a uniform approach to future research.
Cholesterol in quarantine

Host cell cholesterol is often exploited by pathogens for entry and egress. Two new studies elucidate a new interferon-inducible mechanism by which cells limit plasma membrane cholesterol to promote antibacterial defense.
Discovery and characterization of new small-molecule inhibitors of Mcl-1 by high-throughput screening

4148 Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, plays a key role in normal tissue homeostasis ensuring a proper balance between cell production and cell loss. Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2-family proteins are key regulators of the apoptotic pathway and their increased expression in human malignancies is associated with disease progression, tumor resistance to chemotherapy, radiation and poor clinical outcome. Recently,a novel Bcl-2/Bcl-xL/Bcl-w inhibitor (ABT-737) has been developed, which is highly potent in killing tumor cells displayinghigh levels of Bcl-2 and dependent upon Bcl-2 forsurvival. However, ABT-737 exhibits a relatively low affinityfor Mcl-1 and is considerably less efficient in killing tumor cellsexpressing high Mcl-1 levels. Several groups provide strong evidence that Mcl-1 is the major factor that causes resistance to ABT-737 in cancer cells derived from diverse solid tumors, and one approach for overcoming this resistance could be the combination of ABT-737 with agentscapable of down-regulating/inhibiting Mcl-1. Here, we describe a high throughput screening approach that led to the identification of several chemical classes, small molecule Mcl-1 inhibitors. The compounds were characterized in a number of assays including in vitro binding using fluorescence polarization based assay, SPR solution competitive assay, heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC) NMR spectroscopy, pull-down assay, functional assay for cytochrome c and Smac release and a cell-based viability assay with human cancer cells. The most potent of the inhibitors identified was compound 65, which binds to Mcl-1 protein with IC50 of 0.3 μM, showing >100-fold selectivity over Bcl-xL and 60-fold selectivity over Bcl-2 protein. 15N HSQC spectra conclusively showed that compound 65 interacts with the BH3 domain in Mcl-1 protein and many residues in the BH3 binding groove of Mcl-1 protein were affected by 65. Furthermore, pull-down assay demonstrates that the compound 65 is able in dose dependent manner to disrupt interactions between endogenous Mcl-1 protein and biotin labeled Noxa and Bid BH3 peptides, but not between Bid BH3 peptide and other members of Bcl-2 family (Bcl-xL and Bcl-2). Functional studies showed that compound 65 effectively antagonizes recombinant Mcl-1 protein and promotes release of cytochrome c and Smac from isolated mitochondria. Compound 65 displayed cytotoxicity with IC50 from 3 μM to 8 μM against a number of human cancer cell lines with high level of Mcl-1 protein. Collectively, these data indicate that 65 represents a novel and bone fide small-molecule inhibitor of Mcl-1 and a promising lead compound for further optimization toward developing a new class of anticancer drugs by targeting the Mcl-1 protein.
Ad-hoc Document Retrieval using Weak-Supervision with BERT and GPT2.

We describe a weakly-supervised method for training deep learning models for the task of ad-hoc document retrieval. Our method is based on generative and discriminative models that are trained using weak-supervision just from the documents in the corpus. We present an end-to-end retrieval system that starts with traditional information retrieval methods, followed by two deep learning re-rankers. We evaluate our method on three different datasets: a COVID-19 related scientific literature dataset and two news datasets. We show that our method outperforms state-of-the-art methods; this without the need for the expensive process of manually labeling data.
The Effects of Democratic Regression on Turkish Economy and the Brain Drain

Turkey, once promised a hope for democracy, has returned back to an autocratic state in the last decade. In 2013, Turkey increased its authoritarian grasp with the Gezi Park protests, and brutally reacted to the eruption of the corruption scandal involving the highest-level politicians and officials. Later, the peace talks with Kurdish groups was halted. The state oppression expanded to persecute followers of the Gulen Movement, to thwart every opposition in the country, and to eradicate the checks over the government’s executive power. As a result, Turkey has drastically plummeted to the bottom ends of the lists in the international indexes of democracy and human rights. Meanwhile, Turkey’s economic stability has stalled, numerous freedoms including the property rights were disrespected and violated, while many intellectuals and scientists have fled from the country. After discussing some theoretical ideas about the nexus of political and economic development, this chapter presents the path of the Turkish economy in the last decade and explores the effects of democratic regression on the economy, particularly in the areas of property rights and brain drain.
Iliotibial Band Pathology: Synthesizing the Available Evidence for Clinical Progress.

The current paradigm of practice concerning insidious lateral knee pain involving the iliotibial band in repetitive knee flexion activities has been presented as iliotibial band friction syndrome since 1974. Renne's original model for ITB pain was based on a limited or incorrect understanding of the relevant anatomy, biomechanics, and tissue science, which gradually led to a plethora of frustrating and ineffective interventional strategies. Mounting evidence from arthroscopic, cadaveric and biomechanical studies, as well as from diagnostic imaging and histology reports helps deconstruct this long-held paradigm for ITB related pathology and treatment. Using an archeological approach to gather relevant evidence, this clinical update synthesizes the available data in order to present an updated, more informed model for understanding and treating insidious onset related ITB related pathology. The result is a new, more informed paradigm called Iliotibial Band Impingement Syndrome.
Efficacy and Safety of Desensitization Therapy in Pediatric Heart Transplant Candidates

Purpose Allosensitization to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) in pediatric heart transplant candidates is associated with higher waitlist, post-transplantation mortality and antibody mediated rejection. As limited safety/efficacy data exist on pre-transplant desensitization regimen, we reviewed our institution's experience. Methods We reviewed the medical records of 12 highly sensitized (average cPRA = 68%) pediatric heart transplant candidates who underwent desensitization therapy at the University of Virginia Hospital between 2014 and 2020. The following data were collected: individual immunosuppression regimen, pre and post desensitization levels of antibody burden, documented side effects, and incidence of antibody mediated rejection. Results The majority of patients received an oral immunosuppressive regimen of Prednisone (0.3 mg/kg/day to max dose of 12.5 mg) and an antimetabolite (Cellcept 60 mg/kg/dose q12 up to 1,000 mg q12 or Imuran 1-2 mg/kg/day) followed by a single infusion of Rituximab (375 mg/m2) and monthly intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG 2 g/kg) infusions; plasmapheresis was used in one patient and Bortezomib was used in two. cPRA decreased by an average of nearly 20% after an average of 17.5 weeks (Table 1). HLA I antibodies were more susceptible to desensitization than HLA II antibodies (60% vs 36% average antibody reduction, respectively). Immunosuppression medications were well tolerated with only one patient requiring Rituximab discontinuation due to hypotension, tachycardia and respiratory distress. There were no cases of antibody mediated rejection in those patients who underwent transplantation. Conclusion In our cohort, B-cell/ antibody targeted therapies were safe and effective in improving allosensitization and allowing for successful transplantation, though HLA II antibodies were more resistant to therapy. Larger scale studies are needed.
Exercise Makes Quarantine Fun

When the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic emerged in the United States, the thought of stay-at-home orders did not cross the minds of the general population. Quarantine caught people off guard and created life altering circumstances. People no longer thought about eating healthy, exercising, or following through with New Year’s resolutions. In the last decade, researchers studied the benefits of exercise due to the production of endorphins and the boost this hormone gives the body. This health promotion project focused on exercise during quarantine and the positive effects it provides with a focus on the biopsychosocial model. The purpose of this project included planning a study that supported prior research findings and promoted the use of exercise as a healthy coping strategy during challenging circumstances. Potential participants focused on college students because COVID-19 is the first crisis this population will remember in their lifetime. Participants would include 30 randomly selected college students who respond to an ad placed on social media platforms such as Instagram or Facebook. Over the course of a stay-at-home order, participants would complete a variety of workout routines. A baseline report would collect the participants’ initial anxiety levels, mood, and stress levels focused on the COVID-19 pandemic. A weekly survey would be emailed each Saturday to follow-up with participants. At the end of strict stay-at-home orders (i.e., restrictions are lifted), participants would complete a final survey summarizing their anxiety, physical wellbeing, and level of social interaction.
Advanced Gate Stack Design of Ferroelectric Transistor for Scaling towards 7nm FinFET Platform

Ferroelectric-metal FinFET (FeM-FinFET) has been proposed and verified by TCAD simulation. Compared to the ferroelectric FinFET (Fe-FinFET), FeM-FinFET could achieve the logic compatible program/erase voltages (less than ±1.5V) owing to the enhanced electric field on the ferroelectric layer by the area ratio between the ferroelectric capacitor and the oxide capacitor. In addition, the position of the ferroelectric capacitor helps the FeM-FinFET to sustain the scalability towards 7nm.
Keeping Up with the Technologies: Distressed Journalistic Labor in the Pursuit of “Shiny” Technologies

Journalism has taken a technological turn, as reflected in industry narratives that suggest innovation is key to a strong financial future. This pursuit of technological innovation is consistent wi...
Patterns of Failure in Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients After Initiation of Pembrolizumab.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) To retrospectively investigate the patterns of failure and potential benefits of local therapy for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving immunotherapy. MATERIALS/METHODS This single institution, retrospective analysis included 118 patients diagnosed with stage IV NSCLC from January 2015 to May 2020 who received at least one cycle of pembrolizumab, with or without concurrent chemotherapy, and had radiographic follow up of at least 3 months. Patterns of failure were identified by first disease progression event after initiation of immunotherapy. Progression was defined by radiographic evidence of tumor growth and/or development of new sites of disease. Failure events were grouped into the following categories: local, regional, distant, or combined (any combination of synchronous local, regional, or distant disease progression). Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and time to treatment failure (TTF) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS The median follow up time for the 118 patients included in the analysis was 8.5 months. Overall, 70 patients (59.3%) developed progression of disease while on immunotherapy. Of these, 15 (12.7%) progressed locally alone, 2 (1.7%) progressed regionally alone, 17 (14.4%) progressed distantly alone, and the majority (36 (30.5%)) experienced a combined progression. Of the 36 patients who developed synchronous combined progression, 31 (86.1%) shared distant failure with either a local and/or regional failure. The median OS, PFS, and TTF for the entire cohort were 15.8 months, 6.3 months, and 7.3 months respectively. When stratified by patterns of failure, the median OS for local, regional, distant, combined and no progression were 12.4, 18.3, 13.5, 10.7, and 41.7 months respectively (P = 0.024). The median PFS for the same groupings were 3.5, 16.8, 4.2, 3.5, and 41.7 months respectively (P < 0.0001). Of the 41 patients with only local progression or a combination of local and another site of progression, 18 received extracranial radiation concurrently with pembrolizumab (12 palliative RT, 6 consolidative SBRT). There was a statistically significant improvement in OS for this cohort of patients (any local progression) favoring those who received radiation concurrently with immunotherapy (15.8 vs 8.7 months; P = 0.039), but there was no PFS benefit (P = 0.098). CONCLUSION Approximately 60% of patients in this retrospective analysis experienced progression of disease after initiation of pembrolizumab. The most common pattern of failure was a combination of local, regional, and/or distant progression. Additional study of the potential benefits of adding local therapy (radiation) to immunotherapy for these patients is warranted.
Harvesting: Broadening the Field of Distributed Information Retrieval

This chapter argues that in addition to federated search and gathering (as by Web crawlers), harvesting is an important approach to address the needs for distributed IR. We highlight the use of the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting, illustrating its use in three projects: OAD, NDLTD, and CITIDEL. We explain how traditional services can be extended in a user-centered fashion, providing details of our new: ESSEX search engine, multischeming browsing, and quality-oriented filtering (using rules and SVMs). We conclude with an overview of work in progress on logging and component architectures, as well as a summary of our findings.
Convergence of weighted averages of random variables revisited

We show that for a large class of positive weights including the ones that are eventually monotone decreasing and those that are eventually monotone increasing but vary regularly, if the averages of random variables converge in some sense, then their corresponding weighted averages also converge in the same sense. We will also replace the sufficient conditions in the fundamental result of Jamison, Pruitt, and Orey for i.i.d. random variables that make their work more transparent.
In vitro localization of TIGR/MYOC in trabecular meshwork extracellular matrix and binding to fibronectin.

PURPOSE. To determine whether trabecular meshwork-inducible glucocorticoid response/myocilin (TIGR/MYOC) protein associates with the extracellular matrix (ECM) of human trabecular meshwork (HTM) cells. METHODS. The extracellular localization of TIGR/MYOC was examined by immunofluorescence microscopy in HTM cultures treated with and without dexamethasone and ascorbate and in a transformed HTM cell line, TM-1, transiently transfected with TIGR/MYOC cDNA. Antibodies to TIGR/MYOC, fibronectin, laminin, type IV collagen, or thrombospondin were used to determine the extracellular localization of TIGR/ MYOC. Solid phase binding assays using 125 I-recombinant TIGR/MYOC and types I and IV collagens, fibronectin, and laminin were done to examine the association of TIGR/MYOC with these proteins and to identify a specific TIGR/MYOC binding site within fibronectin. The domains of fibronectin tested were the fibrin/collagen binding domain, the RGD domain, and the Heparin II (Hep II) domain. RESULTS. TIGR/MYOC colocalized with fibronectin, laminin, and type IV collagen, but not thrombospondin in both dexamethasone and dexamethasone/ascorbate-treated HTM cultures and in TM-1 cultures transfected with TIGR/MYOC cl)NA. In solid phase binding assays, 125 I-TIGR/MYOC bound fibronectin but not laminin or type IV collagen. Binding to fibronectin could be competed with excess TIGR/MYOC or fibronectin. Specific binding was found for the Hep II domain of fibronectin. CONCLUSIONS. TIGR/MYOC can associate with components of the ECM via interactions with the Hep II domain of fibronectin. The interactions with the Hep II domain of fibronectin could alter cell-matrix interactions in the 'I'M and provides an interesting lead to explore the role(s) of TIGR/MYOC in both steroid-induced and primary open angle glaucoma.
An alternative approach for Mohs surgery using a combination of a flexible blade and the traditional scalpel.

Background Mohs surgery is a specialized surgical and pathological technique used for the removal of high-risk neoplasms. Previous reports show the ability of using a flexible blade for Mohs surgery. Method We utilized a technique combining the traditional #15 blade and scalpel with a flexible blade to perform excisions for Mohs surgery. Discussion The use of the flexible blade alone in Mohs may yield jagged tissue peripheral edges after cutting on the cryostat. The classic technique with a scalpel excision often results in a deeper cut than desired, resulting in a larger defect. We modified both the traditional Mohs technique and the flexible blade by combining both. We have performed this method in approximately over 100 cases on the scalp, face and ears, preserving tissue, minimizing bleeding and avoiding alopecia.
Transition Edge Cameras for Fast Optical Spectrophotometry

When one spends 108–8.5 euros on a large aperture telescope, it behoves one to make maximal use of the photons concentrated at the focus. One popular path is to use very large focal plane arrays, for a high multiplex advantage; this is a natural driver in extragalactic survey science. The other avenue to efficiency applies to single source science, where a large field of view is not necessary, but energy resolution over a broad wavelength range, high time resolution and, possibly, polarization measurements wring maximum benefit from the collected photons.
Characterization of a Unique Cell Line (LAZ 221) from Human Acute Lymphocytic (“Null” Cell) Leukemia

Abstract A unique human cell line designated LAZ 221 has been established from the peripheral blood of a patient with acute lymphocytic leukemia of the “null” cell type. The cell line does not possess the Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen and has a karyotype of 45,XX,-9,-12,+t(9q12q). Both the established cell line and the patient9s uncultured blast cells share the same phenotypic markers. They both lack T-cell markers. They fail to form sheep erythrocyte rosettes and do not react with T-cell-specific antisera (TH1-, HTL-), nor do they possess B-cell markers. They do not form rosettes with erythrocytes sensitized with complement, and they are surface immunoglobulin negative. However, they do possess an HLA-D-related glycoprotein complex of 23,000 to 30,000 daltons, an la-like antigen. Thus, LAZ 221 shares the phenotype of the patient9s uncultured blasts and is a cell line representative of about 75% of all human acute lymphocytic leukemias. In this respect it differs from previously described human hematopoietic cell lines.
A history of astronaut construction of large space structures at NASA Langley Research Center

During the 1970's through the early 1990's, NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) conducted studies for the design and construction of large space structures in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The Langley studies focused on the design and construction of erectable space structures. The construction studies evaluated assembly methods using astronauts with and without mechanized foot-restraints. Astronaut construction was shown to be very effective and efficient when the structure and the construction methods were developed in parallel. This paper presents an overview of the LaRC astronaut construction studies of erectable structures, including a database of assembly rates and lessons learned. In addition this paper presents potential applications of erectable structure assembly methods using EVA astronauts and a suggested integrated approach for construction of large space structures.
Comparative costs of converting shelf list records to machine readable form

A study at Michigan State University Library compared the costs of three different methods of conversion: keypunching, paper-tape typewriting, and optical scanning by a service bureau. The record converted included call number, copy number, first 39 letters of the author's name, first 43 letters of the title, and date of publication. Source documents were all of the shelf list cards at the Library. The end products were a master book tape of the library collections and a machine readable book card for each volume to be used in an automated circulation system.
Examining spatio–temporal relationships of landuse change, population growth and water quality in the SWFWMD

There are many pressures on Florida's water resources. Industrial, agricultural and urban development over the years has impacted water quality adversely. Deterioration of groundwater quality, a major source of fresh water, is a major concern for long–term sustainable growth. The study area, Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) of Florida contains one of the nation's fastest growing metropolitan areas. Although landuse changes as a result of population growth is inevitable, it is not too late to try to understand the relationship among landuse change, population growth and environmental dynamics. A thorough understanding of the population growth, landuse change and environmental dynamics is necessary for managing the urban sprawl with minimal environmental impact viz. their impact on water quality and quantity. The objectives of this study were: to explore if there is a spatial relationship exists among NO3 and Bromacil contamination and critical physical/environmental variables and 2) to create a dataset that will be the basis for future study. This was accomplished by studying landuse (1988 and 1999), population (1990s and 2000s), soils, groundwater quality data (1990 and 2000), Floridan Aquifer Vulnerability Assessment (FAVA) and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). Preliminary results show that contaminated wells were associated with urban and agricultural landuse and sandy soils with high permeability. No significant relationship between population and groundwater quality exists for NO3 and Bromacil contaminated wells.
Alkaline phosphatase-producing leiomyosarcoma of the uterus.

Abstract A case of uterine leiomyosarcoma in a fifty-two year old white woman is presented. The clinical picture was characterized by intermittent fever, eosinophilia, and a high blood alkaline phosphatase level. After removal of the leiomyosarcoma the temperature, eosinophil count, and high alkaline phosphatase level returned to normal values. The development of metastatic tumors caused another increase of the blood alkaline phosphatase. Chemical analysis of the tumor tissue showed a high alkaline phosphatase content. The conclusion was drawn that the high alkaline phosphatase-producing ability of this tumor caused the increase in serum alkaline phosphatase.
Full-chip OPC and verification with a fast mask 3D model

Mask topography (3D) scattering has to be taken into account for a more accurate solution of optical proximity correction (OPC) to meet the advanced Lithography patterning requirements. We report full-chip OPC and verification with a fast mask 3D model. To compare to the conventional mask model with Kirchhoff approximation, we performed lithography model calibration, OPC correction, and verification on a 40nm half-pitch BEOL metal layer using both approaches. OPC accuracies of both models are evaluated by measuring the critical dimension (CD) data on the printed wafer. OPC time with the fast 3D model is comparable to Kirchhoff model for the studied lithography configurations in this paper. Process windows of post-OPC layout are compared for both approaches.
Lattices of algebraic subsets

This survey article tackles different aspects of lattices of algebraic subsets, with the emphasis on the following: the theory of quasivarieties, general lattice theory and the theory of closure spaces with the anti-exchange axiom.
Ab Initio Study of Carboxylated Graphene

We investigate chemical functionalization of graphene by carboxyl (COOH) groups using first principles computational methods. The binding energies and equilibrium geometries of COOH groups covalently attached to graphene clusters with no surface defects, Stone−Wales defects, and vacancies are examined in the framework of density functional theory combined with the generalized gradient approximation. We find that the attachment of COOH groups induces substantial structural changes in graphene. Our calculations show that the binding of the COOH group to graphene is significantly stronger in the presence of surface defects. This result suggest an important role of point surface defects in the carboxylation of graphene.
Gabapentin for the Treatment of Dysesthetic Pain After Reconstructive Surgery

Background. Debilitating, postoperative dysesthetic pain after reconstructive surgery is a rare but problematic complication. Conventional therapy is either marginally effective or fraught with side effects. Gabapentin is a new, novel antiepileptic drug helpful in the management of other pain states. Objective. A case of disturbing, postoperative dysesthetic pain after reconstructive surgery is presented. Methods. A trial of gabapentin in escalating dose was initiated and the results and side effects were recorded. Results. Treatment with gabapentin was associated with a substantial decrease in pain, which relapsed after tapering the medication. Relief was obtained with dose escalation, and a successful taper was eventually accomplished. Side effects were minimal. Conclusion. This is the first reported use of gabapentin in the treatment of postoperative dysesthetic pain. Although this type of neuropathic pain is difficult to manage, gabapentin produced substantial relief with few side effects. Further investigation is warranted.
The Discourse of Race in Modern China

This is the first systematic analysis of racial prejudice in China, a complex and sensitive subject that has been almost completely ignored by Chinese and Western scholars.
Age-related variation in presenting signs of childhood arterial ischemic stroke.

The objective of this study was to determine whether there are age-related variations in the clinical presentation of cerebral arterial ischemic stroke in children after the perinatal period. We performed a retrospective record review of 76 children with cerebral arterial ischemic stroke occurring between 44 weeks of conceptional age and age 19 years. These children were seen by our pediatric stroke group between September 1, 1989 and August 1, 2005. We examined the following clinical presentations: epileptic seizures, focal weakness, and altered mental status. We compared the frequency of each presentation in children with arterial ischemic stroke up to and after age 1 year. Children aged P = 0.01) and altered mental status (36.4% vs 7.7%, P = 0.02), and there was a trend for them to be less likely than older children to present with focal weakness (45.5% vs 76.9%, P = 0.06). Children aged
The Effects of Mercury Adsorption on the Optical Response of Size-Selected Gold and Silver Nanoparticles

We have studied the adsorption of Hg atoms onto gold and silver nanoparticles by optical spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. Mercury adsorption induces a blue shift of the surface plasmon mode of gold and silver nanoparticles. Two trends are observed in the UV−vis spectra. First, silver particles experience a larger blue shift than gold particles (given the same particle size and Hg surface coverage). Second, smaller Au and Ag particles experience a greater blue shift than larger particles. We have calculated the UV−vis absorption spectra using a core/Hg(shell) model and found good agreement between the experimental results and theoretical calculations. The results suggest the basis for a novel colorimetric assay for Hg.
Manipulation of Endogenous Kinase Activity in Living Cells Using Photoswitchable Inhibitory Peptides

Optogenetic control of endogenous signaling can be an important tool for probing cell behavior. Using the photoresponse of the LOV2 domain of Avena sativa phototropin 1, we developed analogues of kinase inhibitors whose activity is light dependent. Inhibitory peptides were appended to the Jα helix, where they potently inhibited kinases in the light but were sterically blocked from kinase interaction in the dark. Photoactivatable inhibitors for cyclic-AMP dependent kinase (PKA) and myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) are described, together with studies that shed light on proper positioning of the peptides in the LOV domain. These inhibitors altered endogenous signaling in living cells and produced light-dependent changes in cell morphodynamics.
Basic properties of regular-closed functions

A functionf∶X→Y is defined to be regular-closed if for each regular-closedA⊂X, f(A) is closed inY. Numerous theorems are presented which give properties of such functions as well as sufficient conditions for a function to be regular-closed. Comparisons are also made between regular-closed functions and certain other types of non-continuous functions. A sample of the theorems proved in this paper would be as follows:
Solid-state microwave delay lines

Solid-state delay lines operating at microwave frequencies can provide many advantages over conventional delay techniques. These devices use sound waves or magnetic spin waves to obtain fixed, variable, or dispersive behavior. The size and weight of electromagnetic delay lines, together with inherent high cable loss, are avoided with solid-state units. Pulse compression filters with bandwidths of several hundred MHz have been constructed, and the future promises even greater capabilities.
A Study of the Single Compartment Tracer Kinetic Model for the Measurement of Local Cerebral Blood Flow Using 15O-Water and Positron Emission Tomography

The effects of varying the data collection time on the calculation of cerebral blood flow and distribution volume via the integrated projection technique were studied in four human subjects. The significance of these results in terms of the limitations of the single compartment model for 15O-water was explored using computer simulations. The simulations helped to account for causes for the variations seen in blood flow and distribution volume as a function of the data collection time. Two different compartmental models were explored for better quantitation of blood flow and distribution volume.