cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evidence for microvascular dysfunction after prenatal dexamethasone at 0.7, 0.75, and 0.8 gestation in sheep

Dexamethasone (DM) was administered to pregnant ewes as three weekly courses of four injections of 2 mg at 12-h intervals. DM (n = 7) or saline (n= 7) was given starting at 103 days of gestation (d...
What can linear state feedback accomplish for nonlinear systems

The purpose of this paper is to address the important question of when an uncertain system with higher-order nonlinearities can be effectively controlled by linear state feedback. In particular, for a family of uncertain nonlinear systems whose linearization is usually uncontrollable or, even worse, has uncontrollable modes associated with eigenvalues on the right-half plane, there is no linear or smooth state feedback to achieve global asymptotic stabilization (GAS). However, we show that if a less aggressive control objective such as semi-global asymptotic stabilization (SGAS) or semi-global practical stabilization (SGPS) is sought, linear controllers would be sufficient and meet the control goal. Several examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed robust linear state feedback control laws.
Physiological changes in energy healers during self-practice.

Summary Objective The physiological status of energy healers during self-practice (activating the healing state without the presence of a recipient) has rarely been examined. This study assessed self practice-related changes in autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity in Reiki Masters and advanced Reconnective Healers. Design Measurements of heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV) and cutaneous blood perfusion of the fingers, of 31 Reiki masters and 50 experienced Reconnective Healers were made before, during and after self-practice. Corresponding measurements were made on 32 control subjects, who gazed at a calming picture in place of self-practice. Setting Experiments were conducted in a laboratory setting. Results During self-practice by Reconnective Healers, the average HR did not change significantly compared to control subjects but the average HRV and the root mean square of successive differences in inter-beat interval (RMSSD) decreased by 11ms (95% CI 0.6, 4.6, p =0.009) and 13ms (95% CI 0.2, 4.1, p =0.031) more than in control subjects, respectively, indicating reduced parasympathetic nervous activity. Reiki Masters showed no significant change in HR, HRV or RMSSD compared to control subjects. Cutaneous blood perfusion increased during self-practice relative to control subjects in both Reconnective Healers (6.5%; p =0.012) and Reiki Masters (13.7%; p Conclusion Contrary to expectations, neither Reconnective Healers nor Reiki practitioners appear to enter a more physiologically relaxed state during self-practice although there is a local peripheral vasodilatation that is probably mediated by humoral agents.
Global outsourcing strategies: The internationalisation of the electronics industry, by L. Cassia

Global outsourcing strategies: The internationalisation of the electronics industry, by L. Cassia, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, Cheltenham, UK, 2010 (hardcover), pg xv & 263, ISBN 978 1 84980 151 5...
Findings from an empirical study of fine-grained human social contacts

An interaction based human contact study experiment has been conducted on 25 undergraduate students at USC, each carrying a wireless device (Tmote) for a week duration. Each mote transmits contact packets every 0.1 second to advertise its presence and a node receiving the packets will record the contact information. Data is processed off-line and a contact graph has been generated based on the strength of pairwise contact in order to visualize the grouping effect. All groups are identified and it has been found out that although most groups have small sizes and infrequent meetings, there exist large groups that have encountered several times in one week duration. The inter-contact and contact time distributions are found to be similar to findings from previous studies done in different settings. The inter-group contact time and group contact time distributions are also found to be power law and exponential in different time scales. Moreover, the contact arrival process is found to be self similar for data from both our experiment and the Haggle project [4].
Effects of Dietary Calcium, Protein and Energy on Feed Intake, Egg Shell Quality and Hen Performance

Abstract twenty-week experiment was conducted to determine if dietary levels of calcium, protein and energy act or interact to influence feed intake, egg shell quality and hen performance. The design was a 5 replicate, 3 × 3 × 3 factorial arrangement of 27 treatments composed of three levels each of calcium (1.8, 3.6 and 54. g.), protein (13, 16 and 19 g.), and metabolizable energy (200, 250, 300 kcal. M.E.) in 120 g. of feed. Hy-Line W-36 hens, 31 weeks old, were used. Egg production level was significantly influenced by dietary protein, energy and calcium, under the winter-time conditions of this experiment (October 18 to March 6). According to the overall treatment means, average egg production was best with diets containing 19 g. protein, 200 kcal. M.E. and 5.4 g. calcium. Voluntary feed intake was significantly influenced by dietary energy and protein (as protein level was increased egg production increased and consequently feed intake increased) but not by calcium. However, the hens fed diets containing 1.8 g. of calcium consumed as much feed as hens fed the 5.4 g. diets even though they produced 7.9 percent fewer eggs. This may indicate that hens fed rations low in calcium consumed more feed in an attempt to take in more calcium. Breaking strength of the egg shells increased significantly as dietary calcium was increased.
Isolated iliac artery aneurysms in patients with or without previous abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Abstract Background: Isolated iliac artery aneurysms (IAA) in patients with or without previous abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair are rare. We wanted to compare the presentation, distribution, treatment, outcome and patterns of subsequent aneurysm formation in these patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with isolated IAA over a 10-year period. Patients with primary isolated IAA (group 1) were compared with patients who presented with IAA after previous AAA repair (group 2). Results: There were 23 patients in each group. Demographics and comorbidities were similar. No aneurysms were detected outside of the iliac system in group 1; 22% of patients in group 2 had other aneurysms. The mean time after AAA repair to IAA diagnosis was 8.8 ± 3.2 years for operated on patients. The in-hospital mortality was 0% for elective cases and 50% for emergency cases for both groups. Three patients in group 2 (13%) developed new aneurysms during follow-up, whereas the only new aneurysm in group 1 was a contralateral IAA. Conclusions: Patients with new IAA after AAA repair have a greater tendency to develop further aneurysms in other sites, synchronously or metachronously. The time to detection of new IAA after AAA repair is at least 5 years in most cases. In both groups, a quarter to a third of patients present with rupture, with a resultant mortality of 30% to 50%, whereas those operated on electively have minimal morbidity and almost no mortality.
Surgery and postoperative radiation therapy in FIGO Stage IIIC endometrial carcinoma

Abstract Objective: To determine the outcome, pattern(s) of failure, and optimal treatment volume in Stage IIIC endometrial carcinoma patients treated with surgery and postoperative radiation therapy (RT). Methods: Between 1983 and 1998, 30 Stage IIIC endometrial carcinoma patients were treated with primary surgery and postoperative RT at the University of Chicago. All underwent total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, sampling of pelvic lymph nodes (PLN), and peritoneal cytology. All were noted to have PLN involvement. Para-aortic lymph nodes (PALN) were sampled in 26 cases, and were positive in 14 cases (54%). Twenty women received whole-pelvic RT (WPRT) and 10 (WPRT), plus paraortic RT (extended-field RT, EFRT). One EFRT patient also underwent concomitant whole-abdominal RT (WART). Adjuvant vaginal brachytherapy (VB) was delivered in 10, chemotherapy in 5, and hormonal therapy in 7 patients. Results: At a median follow-up of 32 months, the actuarial 5-year disease-free and cause-specific survivals of the entire group were 33.9% and 55.8%, respectively. Overall, 16 women (53%) relapsed. Sites of failure included the pelvis (23%), abdomen (13%), PALN (13%), and distant (40%). Of the 7 pelvic failures, 4 were vaginal (3 vaginal only). Patients treated with VB had a trend to a lower vaginal recurrence rate (0/10 vs. 4/20, p = 0.12) than those not receiving VB. All 4 PALN failures were in women treated with WPRT (2 negative, 1 unsampled, and 1 positive PALN). None of the 10 EFRT patients (2 negative, 8 positive PALN) recurred in the PALN. No patient developed an isolated abdominal recurrence. Two patients developed significant RT sequelae: chronic diarrhea in 1 patient treated with WPRT and VB, and small bowel obstruction in 1 patient treated with EFRT. Conclusion: FIGO Stage IIIC disease comprises a small percentage of endometrial carcinoma patients but carries a poor prognosis. Our failure pattern suggests that the optimal adjuvant RT volume is EFRT, even in women with negative PALN sampling. VB should also be administered to improve local control. The low rate of abdominal recurrence does not support the routine use of WART in these women. Given the predominance of failure in distant sites, attention should be focused on the development of systemic chemotherapy protocols.
Weighted median filters for multichannel signals

This paper focuses on extending the weighted median for use with multidimensional (multichannel) signals. Sorting multicomponent (vector) values and selecting the middle value is not well defined as in the scalar case. This paper introduces two median based multivariate filtering structures inspired by ML estimates of location in multivariate spaces. Unlike Astola's weighted vector median filter, the multichannel weighted median filter structures introduced in this paper are able to exploit the spatial and cross-channel correlations embedded in the data. Adaptive optimization algorithms for the filters are derived. The effectiveness of these algorithms is shown through image and array processing experiments.
Peripheral venous pressure as a predictor of central venous pressure during orthotopic liver transplantation

Abstract Study Objective To assess the reliability of peripheral venous pressure (PVP) as a predictor of central venous pressure (CVP) in the setting of rapidly fluctuating hemodynamics during orthotopic liver transplant surgery. Design Prospective clinical trial. Setting UCLA Medical Center, main operating room—liver transplant surgery. Patients Nine adult patients with liver failure undergoing orthotopic liver transplant surgery. Interventions A pulmonary artery catheter and a 20-g antecubital peripheral intravenous catheter dedicated to measuring PVP were placed in all patients after standard general endotracheal anesthesia induction and institution of mechanical ventilation. Measurements Peripheral venous pressure and CVP were recorded every 5 minutes and/or during predetermined, well-defined surgical events (skin incision, venovenous bypass initiation, portal vein anastamosis, 5 minute post graft reperfusion, abdominal closure). Pulmonary artery pressure and cardiac output (via thermodilution) were recorded every 15 and 30 minutes, respectively. Main Results Peripheral venous pressure (mean ± SD) was 11.0 ± 4.5 mmHg vs a CVP of 9.5 ± 5.0; the two measurements differed by an average of 1.5 ± 1.6 mmHg. Peripheral venous pressure correlated highly with CVP in every patient, and the overall correlation among all nine patients calculated using a random-effects regression model was r = 0.95 ( P Conclusion Our study confirms that PVP correlates with CVP even under adverse hemodynamic conditions in patients undergoing liver transplantation.
A RESTful API for exchanging materials data in the AFLOWLIB.org consortium

Abstract The continued advancement of science depends on shared and reproducible data. In the field of computational materials science and rational materials design this entails the construction of large open databases of materials properties. To this end, an A pplication P rogram I nterface (API) following REST principles is introduced for the AFLOWLIB.org materials data repositories consortium. AUIDs ( A flowlib U nique ID entifier) and AURLs ( A flowlib U niform R esource L ocator) are assigned to the database resources according to a well-defined protocol described herein, which enables the client to access, through appropriate queries, the desired data for post-processing. This introduces a new level of openness into the AFLOWLIB repository, allowing the community to construct high-level work-flows and tools exploiting its rich data set of calculated structural, thermodynamic, and electronic properties. Furthermore, federating these tools will open the door to collaborative investigations of unprecedented scope that will dramatically accelerate the advancement of computational materials design and development.
Thyroxine Accumulation in Thyroids of Hypophysectomized Rats

Rats were fed a low iodine (Remington) diet for 8 months, after which radioiodine (125I) was mixed with the diet for 130 days. The metabolism of iodine was studied continuously while isotopic equilibrium was approached for 130 days. The large thyroids of control animals contained few follicles and only 4.4% of their thyroidal iodine was in thyroxine (T4) and 5.9% was triiodothyronine (T3). Hypophysectomy after the 60th day of feeding the labeled diet resulted in a continuous increase of iodine and T4 in the thyroid. Following hypophysectomy, the goiters atrophied and the ng of T4 iodine in the thyroid increased to 7.9 times greater than in intact controls; the concentration of T4 iodine increased 58 times greater than in controls while the concentration of T3 iodine increased to 4.3 times greater than in controls. The results suggest that hypophysectomy inhibited the release of T4 to a greater extent than it inhibited the synthesis of T4 in these goiters; the result was that T4 accumulated during involuti...
Labeling of vagal motoneurons and central afferents after injection of cholera toxin B into the airway lumen.

We tested the hypothesis that application of the subunit B of cholera toxin (CTB) to the airway mucosa would produce labeling of neuronal somata and sensory fibers in the medulla oblongata. Using 1...
An electrodeposited inhomogeneous metal-insulator-semiconductor junction for efficient photoelectrochemical water oxidation

The photoelectrochemical splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen requires a semiconductor to absorb light and generate electron-hole pairs, and a catalyst to enhance the kinetics of electron transfer between the semiconductor and solution. A crucial question is how this catalyst affects the band bending in the semiconductor, and, therefore, the photovoltage of the cell. We introduce a simple and inexpensive electrodeposition method to produce an efficient n-Si/SiOx/Co/CoOOH photoanode for the photoelectrochemical oxidation of water to oxygen. The photoanode functions as a solid-state, metal-insulator-semiconductor photovoltaic cell with spatially non-uniform barrier heights in series with a low overpotential water-splitting electrochemical cell. The barrier height is a function of the Co coverage; it increases from 0.74 eV for a thick, continuous film to 0.91 eV for a thin, inhomogeneous film that has not reached coalescence. The larger barrier height leads to a 360 mV photovoltage enhancement relative to a solid-state Schottky barrier.
The Role of Foreign Firm Characteristics, Absorptive Capacity and the Institutional Framework for FDI Spillovers

A vast set of empirical evidence has been amassed over the past decade on the existence and direction of foreign direct investment (FDI)-generated horizontal and vertical spillovers. Overall, the results are mixed, and suggest that the theoretical postulated spillover effects often do not automatically materialize just because a country is able to attract FDI in the first place. As a result, more and more research has been devoted to understanding the various conditions that may explain these mixed results. Using a cross-section of more than 25,000 domestic manufacturing firms in 78 low-and middle-income countries from the World Bank’s Enterprise Surveys Indicator Database we assess how mediating factors influence productivity spillovers to domestic firms from FDI. We differentiate between three types of mediating factors: (i) a foreign investor’s spillover potential, (ii) a domestic firm’s absorptive capacity, and (iii) a country’s institutional framework. We find that all three affect the extent and direction of FDI spillovers on domestic firm productivity. Moreover, we find that the impact of mediating factors depends on domestic firms’ productivity and the structure of foreign ownership.
Policing the Immigrant Identity

Information concerning an immigrant’s “identity” is critical evidence used by the government against an individual in a deportation proceeding. Today, the government collects immigration-related identity evidence in a variety of ways: a local police officer conducts a traffic stop and obtains a driver’s name and date of birth, fingerprints taken at booking link to previously acquired biographical information, and a search of a national database reveals a person’s country of origin. Data suggests that in an increasing number of cases, immigrant identity evidence is collected by the police following an unlawful search and seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment. In immigration proceedings, the exclusionary rule serves to suppress evidence obtained in egregious violation of the Fourth Amendment. Under current doctrine, when the suppression of identity evidence is at issue, courts make a factual inquiry as to whether the police collected the identity evidence for an investigative purpose, which would warrant suppression, or for an administrative purpose, which would not. Yet despite this purpose-based standard, the policing underlying the collection of immigrant identity evidence has received almost no judicial or scholarly scrutiny. This Article undertakes this needed examination and reveals that, in today’s world of immigration policing, due to the expanding role of local law enforcement in federal immigration enforcement, the expansion of government databases, and the growth of immigration-related offenses, the collection of immigrant identity evidence is often investigative in its underlying purpose. Consequently, in the immigration context, current exclusionary rule doctrine often wrongly shields evidence from suppression that the rule normatively intends to suppress, and unwittingly undermines the animating function of the exclusionary rule — the deterrence of unconstitutional police misconduct. In light of this analysis, the Article concludes by offering specific reforms to exclusionary rule doctrine governing the suppression of immigrant identity evidence. These proposals also support broader doctrinal reforms to the application of the exclusionary rule to all identity evidence in both criminal and civil courts.
Precision and cost considerations for two-stage sampling in a panelized forest inventory design

Due to the relatively high cost of measuring sample plots in forest inventories, considerable attention is given to sampling and plot designs during the forest inventory planning phase. A two-stage design can be efficient from a field work perspective as spatially proximate plots are grouped into work zones. A comparison between subsampling with units of unequal size (SUUS) and a simple random sample (SRS) design in a panelized framework assessed the statistical and economic implications of using the SUUS design for a case study in the Northeastern USA. The sampling errors for estimates of forest land area and biomass were approximately 1.5–2.2 times larger with SUUS prior to completion of the inventory cycle. Considerable sampling error reductions were realized by using the zones within a post-stratified sampling paradigm; however, post-stratification of plots in the SRS design always provided smaller sampling errors in comparison. Cost differences between the two designs indicated the SUUS design could reduce the field work expense by 2–7 %. The results also suggest the SUUS design may provide substantial economic advantage for tropical forest inventories, where remote areas, poor access, and lower wages are typically encountered.
Spring Applications of Insecticides for Control of Alfalfa Weevil in Alabama

Of 37 insecticidal spray formulations tested for effectiveness against the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), a satisfactory reduction in larval population resulted from application of the following insecticides (rates in pounds per acre in parentheses): malathion (1), methoxychlor (2), endrin (0.5), heptachlor (0.5), dieldrin (0.5), benzene hexachloride (0.5), Bayer 39007 ( o -isopropoxyphenyl methylcarbamate) (2), or AC-43064 (cyclic ethylene(diethoxyphosphinothioyl) dithioimidocarbonate) (2). Eight dust formulations were tested and a satisfactory reduction in larval population resulted from the application of either heptachlor (0.5) or parathion (0.4).
In Situ Sequestration of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants in Sediments under Stagnant Contact with Activated Carbon. 1. Column Studies

The effectiveness of activated carbon (AC) treatment to sequester hydrophobic organic contaminants in sediments under stagnant contact was comprehensively studied for the first time. Two years of column experiments were conducted to simulate field conditions with two study sediments contaminated with petroleum and polychlorinated biphenyls, respectively, and variations in AC-sediment contact times, initial AC mixing regimes and distribution, AC particle sizes, and pore-water flow. The benefit of AC treatment was gradually enhanced with time toward the end point of the treatment, where sorption equilibrium is established between sediment and AC. After two years of stagnant contact, the contaminant uptake in polyethylene passive samplers embedded in the columns was reduced by 95–99% for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and 93–97% for polychlorinated biphenyls with 5 and 4 wt % AC dose, respectively, when AC was initially applied by mechanical mixing. These results verify that AC treatment can effectively co...
Primary drug resistance of HIV-1 in MSM population of Hefei,China

Objective To analyze the prevalence of drug-resistant HIV-1 strains in the MSM(men who have sex with men)population with recent HIV infections in Hefei city of China.Methods A total of 35 blood samples from MSM population verified with HIV-1 infection were collected and RNA was extracted from the plasma and then the HIV-1 pol gene from 32 samples was amplified by RT-nest-PCR and sequenced.The HIV-1 drug-resistant nucleic acid sites from these isolates were analyzed using the Stanford HIV Drug Resistance Database.Results Among these sequenced strains,CRF01_AE(57.1%)and B(34.3%)were the main circulating HIV-1 subtypes;no PIs resistant strain was found;two NNRTI resistant strains were confirmed and the prevalence rate was 2.9%.Conclusions Primary drug resistant HIV-1 strains were not common in the MSM population of Hefei city of China.
The Design of Pipe Dynamic Chase Cut Control System

The paper is aim to design a control system fitting for fixed length cutting of industrial pipe. Electromechanical principles and methods of the system are elaborated in the paper. The system applies PLC which built-in electronic CAM to creates electronic CAM curve according to pipe chase cutting control’s requirements and the motion parameters’ calculation, so as to achieve the function of a synchronized motion in the cutting point that between the cutting platform and the pipes. A relatively static cutting is realized. There is no wearing and relative sliding in this system, furthermore, the processing precision and efficiency of the system are high, so it has a broad application prospect.
A mathematical model of central dopaminergic transmission and the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia

Dopamine has been implicated indirectly in schizophrenia. Antipsychotics bind to dopamine receptors and their binding affinities correlate well with their clinical antipsychotic efficacy (Snyder et al., 1975). Amphetamine can worsen pre-existing schizophrenic symptoms or cause a paranoid psychosis in humans (Angrist and Sathananthan, 1974). Unfortunately, there is no direct evidence of a primary dopamine dysfunction in schizophrenia. Heterogeneous groups of chronic schizophrenics have generally shown no significant change in homovanillic acid (a metabolite of dopamine) levels in their cerebral spinal fluid (Berger et al., 1980).
Cancer of the nasopharynx

When managing a patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma there are a number of clinical and imaging factors a clinician will use to make the appropriate staging evaluation and treatment recommendations. In this chapter a sample case of a patient with a poorly differentiated non-keratinizing carcinoma of the lateral wall of the nasopharynx with palpable lymphadenopathy, clinically staged T2N1M0, is used to assist the reader in formulating decisions about the best methods for assessing skull base involvement, the role of PET imaging, the role of viruses in tumorigenesis, and pertinent decisions regarding the treatment of the primary tumor in both untreated and recurrent disease. The unique decisions pertaining to managing the neck nodes and the role of adjuvant chemotherapy are reviewed as well.
Interactions across Multiple Stimulus Dimensions in Primary Auditory Cortex

Although sensory cortex is thought to be important for the perception of complex objects, its specific role in representing complex stimuli remains unknown. Complex objects are rich in information along multiple stimulus dimensions. The position of cortex in the sensory hierarchy suggests that cortical neurons may integrate across these dimensions to form a more gestalt representation of auditory objects. Yet, studies of cortical neurons typically explore single or few dimensions due to the difficulty of determining optimal stimuli in a high dimensional stimulus space. Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) provide a potentially powerful approach for exploring multidimensional stimulus spaces based on real-time spike feedback, but two important issues arise in their application. First, it is unclear whether it is necessary to characterize cortical responses to multidimensional stimuli or whether it suffices to characterize cortical responses to a single dimension at a time. Second, quantitative methods for analyzing complex multidimensional data from an EA are lacking. Here, we apply a statistical method for nonlinear regression, the generalized additive model (GAM), to address these issues. The GAM quantitatively describes the dependence between neural response and all stimulus dimensions. We find that auditory cortical neurons in mice are sensitive to interactions across dimensions. These interactions are diverse across the population, indicating significant integration across stimulus dimensions in auditory cortex. This result strongly motivates using multidimensional stimuli in auditory cortex. Together, the EA and the GAM provide a novel quantitative paradigm for investigating neural coding of complex multidimensional stimuli in auditory and other sensory cortices.
Electropolymerization of β-cyclodextrin onto multi-walled carbon nanotube composite films for enhanced selective detection of uric acid

Abstract An amperometric uric acid (UA) sensor incorporating a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) network in Nafion and electropolymerized β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) layer is investigated. The electrochemical sensor is comprised of a glassy carbon electrode modified with Nafion-MWCNT nanocomposite film, a β-CD polymer inner selective layer, and a Hydrothane polyurethane (HPU) outer selective coating. The surface morphology and electronic structure of the electrode material are characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The electrocatalytic activity of the sensor is studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronocoulometry (CC) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Analytical performance of the electrochemical sensor scheme with and without MWCNT and/or β-CD polymer is determined from direct UA injection during an amperometric analysis. The effective surface area is notably higher for Nafion-MWCNT coated glassy carbon electrodes, which in turn enhanced the sensitivity when coated with β-CD polymer. The results indicated an excellent electrocatalytic property of Nafion-MWCNT/β-CD film for UA detection with enhanced sensitivity (2.11 μA·mM− 1), wide linear responses over physiologically relevant concentrations, and fast response times. Enhancement is attributed to MWCNT offering increased electroactive surface area and the ability of β-CD to selectively sequester UA.
Migrated Mesh Plug Masquerading as a Bladder Tumor.

Background: The purpose of this case presentation is to demonstrate how erosion of mesh into the bladder can initially present with the same symptoms as bladder malignancy. Case Presentation: A 62-year-old Hispanic male presented with 2 years of hematuria along with imaging concerning for a bladder tumor. The patient underwent cystoscopy with biopsy of a lesion at the anterior bladder. It was ultimately determined that a mesh plug from a prior hernia repair had migrated into the bladder. The mesh plug was excised using the Da Vinci Si robot, which allowed for efficient mobilization of the bladder and other anatomic structures, as well as rapid recovery. Conclusion: Our case demonstrates the need to consider mesh erosion as a cause of hematuria and, furthermore, shows how the robotic approach can help facilitate excision of migrated mesh into the bladder.
What explains the correlation between growth in vocabulary and grammar? New evidence from latent change score analyses of simultaneous bilingual development.

A close relationship between children's vocabulary size and the grammatical complexity of their speech is well attested but not well understood. The present study used latent change score modeling to examine the dynamic relationships between vocabulary and grammar growth within and across languages in longitudinal data from 90 simultaneous Spanish–English bilingual children who were assessed at 6-month intervals between 30 and 48 months. Slopes of vocabulary and grammar growth were strongly correlated within each language and showed moderate or nonsignificant relationships across languages. There was no evidence that vocabulary level predicted subsequent grammar growth or that the level of grammatical development predicted subsequent vocabulary growth. We propose that a common influence of properties of input on vocabulary and grammatical development is the source of their correlated but uncoupled growth. An unanticipated across-language finding was a negative relationship between level of English skill and subsequent Spanish growth. We propose that the cultural context of Spanish–English bilingualism in the US is the reason that strong English skills jeopardize Spanish language growth, while Spanish skills do not affect English growth. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/qEHSQ0yRre0
Electrification of sand on Titan and its influence on sediment transport

Triboelectric, or frictional, charging is a ubiquitous yet poorly understood phenomenon in granular flows. Recognized in terrestrial volcanic plumes and sand storms, such electrification mechanisms are possibly present on Titan. There, dunes and plains of low-density organic particles blanket extensive regions of the surface. Unlike Earth, Titan hosts granular reservoirs whose physical and chemical properties possibly enhance the effects of charging on particle motion. Here we demonstrate in laboratory tumbler experiments under atmospheric conditions and using organic materials analogous to Titan that Titan sands can readily charge triboelectrically. We suggest that the resulting electrostatic forces are strong enough to promote aggregation of granular materials and affect sediment transport on Titan. Indeed, our experiments show that electrostatic forces may increase the saltation threshold for grains by up to an order of magnitude. Efficient electrification may explain puzzling observations on Titan such as the mismatch between dune orientations and inferred wind fields. We conclude that, unlike other Solar System bodies, nanometre-scale electrostatic processes may shape the geomorphological features of Titan across the moon’s surface. Frictional charging of granular materials may readily occur on Saturn’s moon Titan. Laboratory experiments under Titan-like conditions suggest that the resulting electrostatic forces are strong enough to affect sand transport on Titan.
Disentangling Gratitude: A Theoretical and Psychometric Examination of the Gratitude Resentment and Appreciation Test–Revised Short (GRAT–RS)

This study extended our theoretical and applied understanding of gratitude through a psychometric examination of the most popular multidimensional measure of gratitude, the Gratitude, Resentment, a...
Optimal Reissue Policies for Reducing Tail Latency

Interactive services send redundant requests to multiple different replicas to meet stringent tail latency requirements. These additional (reissue) requests mitigate the impact of non-deterministic delays within the system and thus increase the probability of receiving an on-time response. There are two existing approaches of using reissue requests to reduce tail latency. (1) Reissue requests immediately to one or more replicas, which multiplies the load and runs the risk of overloading the system. (2) Reissue requests if not completed after a fixed delay. The delay helps to bound the number of extra reissue requests, but it also reduces the chance for those requests to respond before a tail latency target. We introduce a new family of reissue policies, Single-Time / Random (SingleR), that reissue requests after a delay d with probability q. SingleR employs randomness to bound the reissue rate, while allowing requests to be reissued early enough so they have sufficient time to respond, exploiting the benefits of both immediate and delayed reissue of prior work. We formally prove, within a simplified analytical model, that SingleR is optimal even when compared to more complex policies that reissue multiple times. To use SingleR for interactive services, we provide efficient algorithms for calculating optimal reissue delay and probability from response time logs through data-driven approach. We apply iterative adaptation for systems with load-dependent queuing delays. The key advantage of this data-driven approach is its wide applicability and effectiveness to systems with various design choices and workload properties. We evaluated SingleR policies thoroughly. We use simulation to illustrate its internals and demonstrate its robustness to a wide range of workloads. We conduct system experiments on the Redis key-value store and Lucene search server. The results show that for utilizations ranging from 40-60%, SingleR reduces the 99th-percentile latency of Redis by 30-$70% by reissuing only 2% of requests, and the 99th-percentile latency of Lucene by 15-25% by reissuing 1% only.
Values on the Topological Boundary of Tubes

Holomorphic functions in tube domains in ℂn which generalize the Hardy Hp functions are shown to have boundary values on the topological boundary of the tube. The boundary values are obtained restrictedly or unrestrictedly in Lp and in the distribution space \( {\text {K}}_{1}^{\prime}\).
Thin film surface modifications of thin/tunable liquid/gas diffusion layers for high-efficiency proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells

Abstract A proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cell (PEMEC) is one of the most promising devices for high-efficiency and low-cost energy storage and ultrahigh purity hydrogen production. As one of the critical components in PEMECs, the titanium thin/tunable LGDL (TT-LGDL) with its advantages of small thickness, planar surface, straight-through pores, and well-controlled pore morphologies, achieved superior multifunctional performance for hydrogen and oxygen production from water splitting even at low temperature. Different thin film surface treatments on the novel TT-LGDLs for enhancing the interfacial contacts and PEMEC performance were investigated both in-situ and ex-situ for the first time. Surface modified TT-LGDLs with about 180 nm thick Au thin film yielded performance improvement (voltage reduction), from 1.6849 V with untreated TT-LGDLs to only 1.6328 V with treated TT-LGDLs at 2.0 A/cm2 and 80 °C. Furthermore, the hydrogen/oxygen production rate was increased by about 28.2% at 1.60 V and 80 °C. The durability test demonstrated that the surface treated TT-LGDL has good stability as well. The gold electroplating surface treatment is a promising method for the PEMEC performance enhancement and titanium material protection even in harsh environment.
Effect of molecular concentration on spectroscopic properties of poly(methyl methacrylate) thin films doped with rhodamine 6G dye

Laser dyes, in particular, rhodamine 6G (R6G), play an important role in many proof-of-principle demonstrations in metamaterials, nanophotonics, plasmonics, and strong coupling. Despite the numerous experimental and theoretical studies, interpretation of many features in optical spectra of high-concentrated R6G dye is still a subject of controversy. In this work, we have measured and interpreted absorption, excitation, and emission spectra of polymeric (PMMA) films doped with R6G dye. In contrast to several reports, our results suggest that the ~495 nm shoulder in the absorption spectrum is chiefly not due to a dimer formation, but is likely owing to vibronic transitions.
Teaching end-of-life care to baccalaureate nursing students: lessons learned

End-of-life (EoL) care is increasingly provided by nurses outside of traditional hospice environments, yet many general nurses have limited education in EoL care. This article describes the development and evolution of an EOL care course in a baccalaureate nursing program, and the resources and strategies the faculty used to facilitate student engagement and learning. The original EoL course was then eliminated and replaced by the inclusion of EOL care education within existing courses. Faculty drew on the experience gained and lessons learned over several years to identify essential content from the course and include it in the new curriculum, to be integrated into existing courses and levels.
Strategies to Manage Common Co-occurring Psychiatric Conditions

Abstract Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) demonstrates substantial prevalence and significant impairment among youths. Though efficacious treatments are available, several limitations exist (e.g., some children are nonresponsive to treatment). One challenge to delivering efficacious treatments may be the frequent comorbidities found among children in this population. In efforts to provide comprehensive treatment, clinicians must carefully consider implications of comorbidities, as well as the appropriate treatment modifications. To this end, the present chapter seeks to identify and discuss several frequent comorbidities found among children with OCD (i.e., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and tic disorders) and further provide practical and flexible strategies for addressing such comorbidities within treatment. Notably, review of the current literature indicates several similarities, as well as unique differences, between OCD and these comorbidities, with critical implications for the therapy process (e.g., implications for recommended treatment approach; potential effects of comorbidity on treatment progress, etc.).
Rational curves and surfaces

Abstract This article is both a survey and a tutorial on the theory and use of rational Bezier curves and rational B-spline curves, as well as the corresponding surface schemes.
Acid Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Hydrophobic Ketals in Aqueous Cationic Micelles: Partial Failure of The Pseudophase Ion Exchange Model

The rate of acid hydrolysis of two hydrophobic micellar bound ketals, 2-(4-aminophenyl)-2-tridecyl-1,3-dioxolane, II, and 2- (2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-tridecyl-1,3-dioxolane, III, were measured in aqueous cetyltrimethylammonium halide (CTAX, X-= CI-and Br-) solutions in the presence and absence of added salt (NaX) at 30° and 40°. The experiments were designed to test the predictions of the Pseudophase Ion Exchange (PIE) model for reactions of neutral organic substrates with coions.
Photodissociation of Weak Bonds: The Spectroscopy and Vibrational Dynamics of Molecular Complexes

We discuss the application of high resolution infrared spectroscopy to the study of weakly bound molecular complexes formed in a molecular beam. The focus is on the use of the optothermal method to study the spectroscopy of the parent complex and to characterize the fragments resulting from their photodissociation. In the former case we consider several examples were the spectroscopy of the complex is directly sensitive to the associated wide amplitude motion. We consider the influence of large external electric fields on the eigenstates of these complexes. In the photofragmentation experiments we make use of the orientation imposed by this electric field to aid in the characterization of the final state distributions of the fragments. We also discuss the possibility of modifying the structure and dynamics of these complexes using an external field.
Fostering Civil Discourse Online: Linguistic Behavior in Comments of #MeToo Articles across Political Perspectives

Linguistic style and affect shape how users perceive and assess political content on social media. Using linguistic methods to compare political discourse on far-left, mainstream and alt-right news articles covering the #MeToo movement, we reveal rhetorical similarities and differences in commenting behavior across the political spectrum. We employed natural language processing techniques and qualitative methods on a corpus of approximately 30,000 Facebook comments from three politically distinct news publishers. Our findings show that commenting behavior reflects how social movements are framed and understood within a particular political orientation. Surprisingly, these data reveal that the structural patterns of discourse among commenters from the two alternative news sites are similar in terms of their relationship to those from the mainstream - exhibiting polarization, generalization, and othering of perspectives in political conversation. These data have implications for understanding the possibility for civil discourse in online venues and the role of commenting behavior in polarizing media sources in undermining such discourse.
Feasibility of Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Implementation among VAD Recipients at an Urban Tertiary Care Center

Background Over the past decade, a growing number of patients with advanced heart failure (HF) have undergone ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation, including some ineligible for transplant. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) may improve functional capacity and symptoms among VAD recipients, but feasibility of completing a full 12-week outpatient CR program among VAD recipients has not been characterized. We therefore sought to determine the prevalence and predictors of early CR cessation in VAD recipients referred to outpatient CR in an urban center. Methods We prospectively enrolled all eligible 18 VAD recipients who were referred to outpatient CR between 2013-2016 at NYU Langone Rusk Rehabilitation from 4 New York City VAD centers in an IRB-approved observational study. The primary feasibility outcome was completion of CR (all 36 scheduled sessions). We reviewed demographic data, comorbidities, number of CR sessions attended, and physiologic data from baseline cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in patients who completed and did not complete CR. We used two-sample t-tests and chi-squared test for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Results Median age was 59 years, 22.2% were female, 72.3% were non-White, and median BMI was 25.4. The majority of VADs were Heartmate II devices. Fewer than half of study participants (7/18) completed all 36 scheduled CR sessions. Among those who did not complete CR (N=11) 4 participants were transplanted, 5 stopped due to medical reasons, and 2 stopped due to social barriers. Baseline demographics, medications, and comorbidities were similar between those who did and did not complete CR (Table). VAD recipients with more severe functional impairment based on pre-CPET measures were significantly less likely to complete CR. Conclusions Our study demonstrates the feasibility of CR implementation among VAD recipients in a diverse urban cohort, although a considerable proportion failed to complete all 36 scheduled sessions. Among those who did not complete CR, functional capacity was lower at baseline. More work is warranted to determine the optimal timing and CR regimen for VAD recipients.
Profiling Reminiscers: Using a Self-Report Measure of Frequency and Functions of Reminiscence to Identify Individual Patterns of Retrieval

Reminiscence, a specific form of autobiographical memory that aids in the development of a sense of self, serves several functions. The current study extends the literature on reminiscence (between-group differences in reminiscence functions) by examining the heterogeneity of reminiscence to identify patterns of reminiscence using person-centered statistics. The study utilized data collected by Webster and colleagues comprised of 907 participants ranging in age from 17 to 88 years. Latent profile analysis and finite mixture modeling were used to discern distinct profiles of the Reminiscence Functions Scale’s eight functions of reminiscence, age, and gender. A three-class solution fit the data best, indicating that three distinct profiles of reminiscing were present in the data. The Young-Adult Self-Negative reminiscing profile was characterized by the highest scores on the Bitterness Revival and Boredom Reduction factors. The Middle-Adult Self-Positive reminiscing profile had the lowest mean scores on all reminiscing factors among the three profiles, but was relatively high on Identity, Problem-Solving, Teach/Inform, and Conversation factors. The Older-Adult Self-Positive Pro-Social reminiscing profile was characterized by the highest scores on Death Preparation, Identity, Problem-Solving, Teach/Inform, and Conversation factors. This study contributes to our understanding of reminiscence by identifying distinct patterns of reminiscence functions and age and offering further support for the three higher-order factor structure of reminiscing.