cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
272 EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT REPORTING OF FIREWORKS INJURIES DURING THE JULY 4TH WEEKEND.

Introduction The July 4th holiday presents a seasonal hazard (fireworks) that impacts EDs throughout the U.S. Active surveillance of fireworks injuries treated by EDs should be useful in providing estimates of occurrence, nature of injury, identification of victims and types of fireworks involved, and the level of preventive action taken by injured victims. This project should help evaluate the effectiveness of an active surveillance methodology using ED data and the descriptive epidemiology of ED-attended fireworks injuries. Methods Emergency department (ED) directors of EMS level 1 and 2 hospitals were contacted to report fireworks injuries occurring between July 1 and ending July 6 to our center. A total of 27 hospital EDs were notified. A reporting questionnaire was provided to each ED with instructions to complete and fax back to our center. The questionnaire included basic demographics of the injured patient, type of injury, firework involved, and severity of injury. Results A total of 21 EDs (78%) reported injury data to our center. During the 5-day surveillance period, 40 injuries were reported. The injured victims included 31 (78%) males, 22 (55%) less than 10 years of age, 14 (35%) 11 to 20 years, and 4 (10%) were over 20 years. Most of these injuries (70%) occurred at home, while the remaining 30% occurred at a friend9s residence or neighborhood. (None occurred at city or officially sponsored events.) The most common firework involved was the bottle rocket (55%), which resulted in 6 (27.3%) mild, 9 (40.9%) moderate, and 7 (31.8%) severe levels of severity. Among 7 total "severe " injuries, all involved bottle rockets. Preventive practices reported by injured victims included 26 (65%) had adult supervision, 0 (0%) used safety goggles, 4 (10%) had a watering can nearby. Conclusions An "active surveillance of sentinel injuries " methodology utilizing ED data and reported by fax is productive, as evidenced by the 78% response rate. As expected, fireworks-related injury visits are prevalent during the July 4th holiday and often involve small children (55% under 10 years). As previously reported, bottle rockets are commonly involved (55%) and represent high rates (72.7%) of moderate to severe firework injuries seen in EDs. Preventive practices (safety goggles or fire safeguards) are not often used among injured victims reporting to EDs. These data provide support for continued awareness and education through local area media for fireworks injury prevention and for continued active surveillance of EDs.
Dynamics of red blood cells in oscillating shear flow

We present a three-dimensional computational study of fully deformable red blood cells of the biconcave resting shape subject to sinusoidally oscillating shear flow. A comprehensive analysis of the cell dynamics and deformation response is considered over a wide range of flow frequency, shear rate amplitude and viscosity ratio. We observe that the cell exhibits either a periodic motion or a chaotic motion. In the periodic motion, the cell reverses its orientation either by passing through the flow direction (horizontal axis) or by passing through the flow gradient (vertical axis). The chaotic dynamics is characterized by a non-periodic sequence of horizontal and vertical reversals. The study provides the first conclusive evidence of the chaotic dynamics of fully deformable cells in oscillating flow using a deterministic numerical model without the introduction of any stochastic noise. In certain regimes of the periodic motion, the initial conditions are completely forgotten and the cells become entrained in the same sequence of horizontal reversals. We show that chaos is only possible in certain frequency bands when the cell membrane can rotate by a certain amount, allowing the cells to swing near the maximum shear rate. As such, the bifurcation between the horizontal and vertical attractors in phase space always occurs via a swinging inflection. While the reversal sequence evolves in an unpredictable way in the chaotic regime, we find a novel result that there exists a critical inclination angle at the instant of flow reversal which determines whether a vertical or horizontal reversal takes place, and is independent of the flow frequency. The chaotic dynamics, however, occurs at a viscosity ratio less than the physiological values. We further show that the cell shape in oscillatory shear at large amplitude exhibits a remarkable departure from the biconcave shape, and that the deformation is significantly greater than that in steady shear flow. A large compression of the cells occurs during the reversals which leads to over/undershoots in the deformation parameter. We show that due to the large deformation experienced by the cells, the regions of chaos in parameter space diminish and eventually disappear at high shear rate, in contradiction to the prediction of reduced-order models. While the findings bolster support for reduced-order models at low shear rate, they also underscore the important role that the cell deformation plays in large-amplitude oscillatory flows.
Bootstrapping User-Defined Body Tapping Recognition with Offline-Learned Probabilistic Representation

To address the increasing functionality (or information) overload of smartphones, prior research has explored a variety of methods to extend the input vocabulary of mobile devices. In particular, body tapping has been previously proposed as a technique that allows the user to quickly access a target functionality by simply tapping at a specific location of the body with a smartphone. Though compelling, prior work often fell short in enabling users' unconstrained tapping locations or behaviors. To address this problem, we developed a novel recognition method that combines both offline-before the system sees any user-defined gestures and online learning to reliably recognize arbitrary, user-defined body tapping gestures, only using a smartphone's built-in sensors. Our experiment indicates that our method significantly outperforms baseline approaches in several usage conditions. In particular, provided only with a single sample per location, our accuracy is 30.8% over an SVM baseline and 24.8% over a template matching method. Based on these findings, we discuss how our approach can be generalized to other user-defined gesture problems.
Decisions regarding forgoing life-sustaining treatments.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Decisions to forego life-sustaining treatments are complex, and disagreements between physicians and patients occur. This review discusses recent findings regarding what factors influence physicians and patients or their surrogates in these decisions and considers whether futility arguments regarding life-sustaining treatments should be abandoned. RECENT FINDINGS Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is one paradigm in the literature for studying end-of-life decision-making. Outcomes for cardiopulmonary resuscitation are poor, and physicians tend to over-rely on tacit versus evidence-based knowledge for resuscitation decisions. Physician decisions are often inherently biased regarding elderly and intellectually impaired patients. Patient decisions regarding life-sustaining treatments are poorly understood by physicians, and also include inherent bias against the elderly and intellectually impaired. Although patients and their decision-makers frequently incorporate religious or spiritual beliefs in their decisions, physicians rarely discuss these factors with them. Defining 'futility' is problematic, and futility arguments have limited utility in clinical end-of-life treatment discussions. SUMMARY Further research is needed about factors that affect both physicians and patients with regard to forgoing life-sustaining interventions. Physicians need more information regarding religious/spiritual preferences of patients and decision-makers. 'Futility' arguments in end-of-life decision-making are flawed and should probably be abandoned.
Nonpolar GaN-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

This is a report of recent progress on GaN-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). Ion implanted aperture VCSELs with tunnel junction intracavity contacts outperformed dielectric apertures with indium tin oxide intracavity contacts. A novel buried tunnel junction design offers a solution for current and optical confinement.
Altered stoichiometry and nuclear delocalization of NonO and PSF promote cellular senescence

While cellular senescence is a critical mechanism to prevent malignant transformation of potentially mutated cells, persistence of senescent cells can also promote cancer and aging phenotypes. NonO/p54nrb and PSF are multifunctional hnRNPs typically found as a complex exclusively within the nuclei of all mammalian cells. We demonstrate here that either increase or reduction of expression of either factor results in cellular senescence. Coincident with this, we observe expulsion of NonO and PSF-containing nuclear paraspeckles and posttranslational modification at G2/M. That senescence is mediated most robustly by overexpression of a cytoplasmic C-truncated form of NonO further indicated that translocation of NonO and PSF from the nucleus is critical to senescence induction. Modulation of NonO and PSF expression just prior to or coincident with senescence induction disrupts the normally heterodimeric NonO-PSF nuclear complex resulting in a dramatic shift in stoichiometry to heterotetramers and monomer with highest accumulation within the cytoplasm. This is accompanied by prototypic cell cycle checkpoint activation and chromatin condensation. These observations identify yet another role for these multifunctional factors and provide a hitherto unprecedented mechanism for cellular senescence and nuclear-cytoplasmic trafficking.
Anthropologist in Advertising Agencies: Mediating Structures of Power and Knowledge Capital by Managing Relationships

This essay discusses how working from within an advertising agency as an anthropologist yields particular advantages in terms of presenting anthropological insights and gaining access to information that one would not have been privy to, compared to a study of advertising from the outside. Working from within an agency affords access not only to forms of objective data and consumer research documents that are less accessible from the outside, but also to forming critical relationships and subjective associations with clients that produce knowledge practices and situate information in authoritative positions of power from within. I draw on fifteen years of experience as a corporate anthropologist working within and among relationships in advertising which define, produce and sustain various structures of power and knowledge capital that orient insights and information in critical ways.
Utilization of ultrasound for the evaluation of small bowel obstruction: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract Introduction Small bowel obstruction (SBO) is a common presentation to the Emergency Department (ED). While computed tomography (CT) is frequently utilized to confirm the diagnosis, this modality is expensive, exposes patients to radiation, may lead to time delays, and is not universally available. This study aimed to determine the test characteristics of ultrasound for the diagnosis of SBO. Methods PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were assessed for prospective trials evaluating the accuracy of ultrasound for the detection of SBO. Data were double extracted into a predefined worksheet and quality analysis was performed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool. Results This systematic review identified 11 studies comprising 1178 total patients. Overall, ultrasound was found to be 92.4% sensitive (95% CI 89.0% to 94.7%) and 96.6% specific (95% CI 88.4% to 99.1%) with a positive likelihood ratio of 27.5 (95% CI 7.7 to 98.4) and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.08 (95% CI 0.06 to 0.11). Discussion The existing literature suggests that ultrasound is a valuable tool in the diagnosis of SBO with a sensitivity and specificity comparable to that of CT. Ultrasound may save time and radiation exposure, while also allowing for serial examinations of patients to assess for resolution of the SBO. It may be particularly valuable in settings with limited or no access to CT. Future studies should include more studies in the Emergency Department setting, comparison of probe choices, and inclusion of more pediatric patients.
Nondestructive Approach for Additive Nanomanufacturing of Metallic Nanostructures in the Air

In this article, a mechanism for quick release and transfer of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) from a soft substrate to another substrate under laser illumination is investigated. The heating of GNPs on a soft substrate with a continuous-wave laser causes a rapid thermal expansion of the substrate, which can be used to selectively release and place GNPs onto another surface. In-plane and out-of-plane nanostructures are successfully fabricated using this method. This rapid release-and-place process can be used for additive nonmanufacturing of metallic nanostructures under ambient conditions, which paves a way for affordable nanomanufacturing and enables a wide variety of applications in nanophotonics, ultrasensitive sensing, and nonlinear plasmonics.
Standoff detection of bulk and trace elements using laser-induced fluorescence of laser ablation plumes

We demonstrate 10 m standoff analysis of bulk and trace elements in laser-produced plasmas using tunable laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). LIF of laser-ablation plumes provides emission enhancement, higher spectral resolution in comparison with thermally-excited emission.
GRAZING BEHAVIOR OF RANGELAND BEEF CATTLE DIFFERING IN BIOLOGICAL TYPE

Grazing behavior exhibited by different biological types (breed groups) of lactating beef cows was evaluated during the summers of 1985 (Trial 1) and 1986 (Trial 2). Animals grazed native Montana foothill grassland. In Trial 1, breed groups consisted of Hereford (HH), 50% Angus-50% Hereford (AH), 50% Simmental-50% Hereford (SH), and 75% Simmental-25% Hereford (3S1H) with six cows per breed group. Daily grazing hours were 11.8 +/- .2, 12.3 +/- .2, 11.6 +/- .2, and 11.6 +/- .5 h/d for HH, AH, SH, and 3S1H, respectively. There was a tendency for AH cows to graze longer than HH and SH cows (P = .10). Bite rates were 52.7 +/- 1.5, 56.2 +/- 1.5, 53.2 +/- 1.4, and 59.0 +/- 1.6 bites/min for HH, AH, SH, and 3S1H, respectively. The AH and 3S1H cows had higher bite rates (P less than .05) than the HH and SH cows. Means for distance traveled were 3.1 +/- .2, 3.4 +/- .2, 4.0 +/- .2, and 2.8 +/- .2 km/d for HH, AH, SH and 3S1H, respectively. The SH cows tended to travel farther (P less than .10) than cows of other breed groups. The AH traveled farther than the 3S1H but did not differ from the HH. In Trial 2, breed groups were Hereford (HH), Tarentaise-Hereford (TH), Tarentaise-Simmental-Hereford (T(SH], and Charolais-Simmental-Hereford (C(SH]; each group included six lactating cows. Means for bite rate were 56.9 +/- 1.1, 58.7 +/- 1.1, 60.9 +/- 1.0, and 59.0 +/- 1.1 bites/min for HH, TH, T(SH), and C(SH), respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
This World and Beyond: Food Practices and the Social Order in Mayan Religion

When ethnographers study the foods and food practices of a community or a people, even when they concentrate their efforts on everyday foods and their production, distribution, preparation, and consumption in this world, they usually find that there is much more to describe than they had anticipated. When the study embraces religious uses of foods, and therefore includes foodways pertaining to the otherworld(s) as well as food practices involved with transitioning between worlds, the description becomes even more complex, for it must then include food for the deities and food for the soul, among other categories of foods along with such other food practices as those discussed below. Foodways that are part of religious practice are generally more ritualized, specifying also in greater detail the performers, practices, and paraphernalia involved than would be done with secular foodways. I hope to present, in a programmatic way, without dealing with the secular foodways and everyday foods of people in this world, some of the complexity of foodways involving consumption and religion.
Treatment of war trauma in veterans: pharmacotherapy and self-help proposal.

Over 1.9 million U.S. veterans have been deployed to the Middle East since 2001. Statistics showthatwhentheyreturn, a significant number of them will develop psychiatric/psychosomatic disorders. Many of these returning veterans will be seen in primary-care offices or at hospitals. It is important for physicians to be familiar with combat trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and acute stress disorder (ASD). Best standard of care, pharmacological treatment of war trauma and its comorbidities-depression, suicide, aggression, addiction and other disorders are reviewed. As part of the treatment protocol, the author has also designed a 12-Step Self-Help Proposal for combat veterans with PTSD, inspired by addiction and AA self-help programs. It is an experimental design which has helped many patients but needs further research to confirm the benefit. To the best of my knowledge this is the first time that a 12-step program has been developed forwartrauma soldiers. Language: en
A hierarchical semantic overlay approach to P2P similarity search

One of the most important problems in information retrieval is similarity search. Informally, the problem is: given a similarity query, which can be a point query or a range query, we need to return a set of contents that are most relevant to the search criteria according to some semantic distance function. We propose EZSearch, a decentralized solution to this problem in the context of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks. EZSearch features the following for a network of users. First, queries can be answered with worst-case search time and low search overhead. Second, to maintain the hierarchy, a node keeps track of only other nodes and failure recovery requires no more than reconnections; these overheads are independent of the network size. Last but not least, the number of objects whose indices are stored at remote nodes is small and, therefore, so are the costs of index migration, storage, and validity.
Biology of Multiple Myeloma — An Overview

Multiple myeloma (MM) is rapidly emerging as a new model of human neoplastic disease, after decades of limited interest by laboratory investigators in part because of its relatively low incidence and often indolent clinical course. Novel concepts in therapy, including effective salvage therapy with the VAD regimen (Barlogie 1984), high dose and even marrow-ablative therapy requiring hemopoietic stem cell support (Barlogie 1987; Gahrton 1987; Fermand 1989), and interferon for early and low tumor mass disease (Mellstedt 1979; Mandelli 1988), have all drawn new attention to human MM that affects mainly the elderly (median age, 65 years), more males (male to female ratio 1.5) and an increasing number of black patients, at least in the United States. While regularly inducible in murine species with pristane oil (Potter 1986), etiology and pathogenesis of human MM have remained obscure.
The TU Hand: Using Compliant Connections to Modulate Grasping Behavior

Guided by the notion that the five-fingered anthropomorphic hand is a good general purpose manipulator, Team Tulsa approached the hand-in-hand portion of the grasping and manipulation competition using a simplified anthropomorphic hand. The hand had a simplified thumb, fixed in the opposed position, and only two actuators. Motions of the fingers and thumb were coupled together using a “ties and skips” architecture where thumb and finger tendons were tied to specific coils of a “mainspring” in a manner that produced the best behavior across the wide range of challenges. The actuators could move or deform the spring in common mode, which resulted in an enveloping grasp) or differential mode (which resulted in a pinch grasp) and superimpose the two modes. The compliant nature of the hand allowed the fingers to conform to the object as the grasp was acquired. This strategy allowed the retrieval of all objects from the basket (all on the first or second attempt by the volunteer), and scooping peas from the dish, but could not operate the hammer (due to its weight) the syringe, or the scissors (as they required increased dexterity).
Prostate Cancer Screening Guidelines for African American Veterans: A New Perspective.

Abstract Background Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer, other than skin cancers, in American men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. In 2012, the US Preventative Task Force recommended against the prostate specific antigen-based screening for prostate cancer, regardless of race or age, due to overtreatment of low-risk disease and lack of impact on disease outcomes. In African-American men, however, the incidence of prostate cancer is almost 60% higher and the mortality rate is two- to three-times greater than that of Caucasian men. In the subpopulation of African-American veterans, many have been exposed to chemicals that increase incidence of high-risk prostate cancer. The yearly total number of veterans with prostate cancer based on quantification is 3471.9, and the total number of annual prostate cancer deaths is 556. Considering these facts, we examine whether or not it is appropriate to screen African-American veteran males for prostate cancer. Previously, we reviewed data on African-Americans in the general population. We concluded that new guidelines needed to be implemented for screening African-Americans. Here we review the pertinent issues related to African-American veterans. Methods We performed a PubMed and Google Scholar search using the keywords: African-American veteran, prostate cancer, mortality, PSA density, molecular markers, and Agent Orange. The articles that were relevant to the clinical, molecular, social, and health policy aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer in African-American veterans were analyzed. The data was then summarized. Results After surveying the literature, we found several areas where the African-American veteran population differed from their Caucasian counterparts. These areas were incidence, clinical course, social differences, PSA levels, mortality rate, and molecular markers. A subset of the veteran population was also exposed to Agent Orange, which has been shown to increase the incidence of aggressive forms of prostate cancer. Lastly, the current USPTF guidelines recommending against prostate cancer screening were based on patient cohorts containing disproportionately low numbers of African-Americans, limiting their extension to the African-American veteran population. Conclusion After reviewing and summarizing the literature, we contend that a need exists to develop and implement more targeted prostate cancer screening guidelines for African-American veterans.
Older Voters and the 2004 Election

For several decades, candidates in U.S. presidential election campaigns have articulated policy issues designed to appeal to older Americans. However, exit-poll data have consistently shown that older people have distributed their votes among presidential candidates in roughly the same proportions as the electorate as a whole, favoring the winner of the popular vote. This happened again in 2004. The percentage of older persons voting for George Bush was slightly more than the national average, suggesting that old-age policy issues are not the predominant factors affecting older voters.
Dispersal Patterns of Diaphorina citri (Kuwayama) (Hemiptera: Liviidae) as Influenced by Citrus Grove Management and Abiotic Factors

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), remains the most economically important and difficult to manage pest in citrus throughout Florida. To improve existing control methods, the potential for Asian citrus psyllid to evade insecticide sprays and engage in shortterm dispersal was investigated. Dispersal was evaluated to better understand responses of Asian citrus psyllid to citrus grove management, and how these factors affect population dynamics when citrus flush is scarce. To determine the impact of insecticide applications and other abiotic factors on Asian citrus psyllid movement, psyllid captures were measured on yellow sticky-card traps placed along the citrus grove borders. Additional suction trap and citrus grove stem-tap samples were collected and compared with sticky card catches, then correlated with data taken from the Florida Automated Weather Network. More Asian citrus psyllids were caught after than directly before insecticide sprays (t = 3.096; df = 27; P = 0.005), with the highest catches occurring from Mar to May. Both solar radiation and wind direction were positively correlated with Asian citrus psyllid dispersal, whereas humidity was negatively correlated across all sampling methods. Significant psyllid catches in suction traps located 500 m from a citrus grove provide additional evidence that Asian citrus psyllids tend to migrate when host conditions are unfavorable, returning to previous or neighboring groves after dispersal.
An Agent-Based Model of Miscommunication in Complex System Engineering Organizations

Communication in engineering organizations affects the performance of the complex systems they design. Mis communication occurs when communication results in a “deficiency” or “problem” that hinders parties from fulfilling their individual or collective values. A recent study demonstrated widespread miscommunication in a Fortune 500 engineering firm about the definition of “an estimate” in a complex system design context. Building on that work, this article used a Monte Carlo simulation (8800 runs) of an agent-based model to demonstrate how systemic design process miscommunication may affect complex system performance. Each run of the simulation created a unique 1000-artifact system using a network generation algorithm and converged its design through optimization. Systems where estimates communicated “current” designs outperformed systems where estimates communicated “future” projections of their designs instead. Varying the fraction of the population, which uses each definition of an estimate varied system performance and uncertainty. Whether related to estimate definitions or more generally, this article demonstrates that miscommunication may affect system performance.
The built environment and Syrian refugee integration in Turkey: an analysis of mobile phone data

We use a large call detail record (CDR) dataset from mobile operator Turk Telekom to examine how refugees from the Syrian Refugee Crisis are integrating into Turkish society. We extract different types of callers from the social network: refugees who often call Turkish nationals, refugees who do not call Turks; Turks who often call refugees, and Turks who do not call refugees. We consider frequent phone calls between refugees and Turks to indicate high levels of bridging social capital for these users and that refugees tied to Turkish nationals through calls have integrated into the Turkish society, economically and/or socially. We also assume that Turks who often call refugees are investing in creating these relationships (although these comprise a relatively small set of users).Each user is geolocated based on the cell towers they use, to produce an activity space that approximates the parts of the country/city frequented over a time span. We ask: in what kinds of landscapes do these "bridging" members of Turkish society live? We overlay their activity spaces with infrastructural and socioeconomic indicators (i.e. distance from the Syrian border, intersection with urban amenities, etc.), and statistically measure the extent to which these users differ from the average user in the network.We found few significant geographic patterns for refugees who were calling Turks often. However, bridging Turks were found to be located near infrastructural variables such as places of worship, schools, community centers, and social centers/facilities, more often than their non-bridging counterparts. These differences were strongest in locales with Muslim and Sunni Muslim places of worship. In these locales, presumably, refugees and Turkish nationals share common values and beliefs. Our results provide quantitative evidence suggesting the significance of social amenities and meeting places for face-to-face connection and social support for the livelihoods of refugees and refugee integration.
Treatment of Ankle and Hindfoot Charcot Arthropathy

It is now well accepted that diabetic patients with clinically and radiographically nonplantigrade Charcot foot arthropathy are best managed with correction of the acquired deformity. Several investigations have demonstrated a high probability for a favorable clinical outcome when the deformity is in the midfoot. Unstable deformity at the subtalar or ankle joints portends a far worse clinical outcome. The goal of this discussion was to describe the author's approach to this highly challenging clinical problem.
Comparative Postoperative Outcomes of Rezūm Prostate Ablation in Patients with Large Versus Small Glands.

Introduction: Rezūm water vapor thermal ablation is a new minimally invasive technique used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia. Major advantages include minimal anesthesia and recovery time, low...
Subclavian Artery Stenting for Ischemic Left Index Finger

Subclavian artery stenting via left brachial artery cutdown was performed for severe ischemia of the left hand (index finger). Patient had severe left subclavian artery stenosis, and following subclavian stenting, there was significant clinical improvement associated with right wrist brachial index becoming normal.
Differential Diagnosis of Landau-Kleffner Syndrome Versus Post Encephalitis Syndrome in a 13-year-old Boy With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS) is a rare childhood neurological condition that causes developmental regression, loss of language skills and abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns. Its etiology is unknown. This report describes a case of a 13-year-old boy who at 3.5 years of age was bitten by a tick. Two months thereafter, he began losing previously acquired developmental and language skills, and developed seizures. The seizures subsided with valproic acid treatment, but the developmental delays persisted. Family history and disease progression reports obtained from the patient's father revealed that the patient displayed repetitive behaviors prior to the age of three. Clinical observation also showed the patient having numerous repetitive vocalizations and movements along with difficulty with switching sets. His developmental age at the time of presentation was determined to be 3 to 4 years of age. During the course of diagnostic testing, we were able to rule out tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and rule in LKS in a premorbidly autistic child. This case describes the similarities between the three conditions and the diagnostic investigations used to arrive at a final diagnosis.
Sexual Minorities’ Psychosexual Adjustment as Reflected in the Multidimensional Sexuality Questionnaire (MSQ)

Sexual minorities are disproportionately likely to experience discrimination and stigma which can influence negative outcomes in both psychological and well as physical health. While this has been ...
Type of Intensive Care Unit Matters: Variations in Palliative Care for Critically Ill Patients with Chronic, Life-Limiting Illness.

Background: It is not clear whether use of specialty palliative care consults and “comfort measures only” (CMO) order sets differ by type of intensive care unit (ICU). A better understanding of pal...
Juvenile myasthenia gravis unmasked: a case of a teenage female who presented in acute respiratory failure

Case: A 16-year-old African-American female with a history of chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, dysphagia, and TMJ presented as a transfer from an outside hospital where she had presented with sore throat, difficulty breathing, and abdominal pain and received ceftriaxone and azithromycin with subsequent complication of acute hypercapnic respiratory failure requiring intubation. Further chart review revealed one year of progressive difficulties with coordination, fatigue, speech, swallowing, and jaw pain. Upon arrival to the pediatric intensive care unit, the patient was intubated and hemodynamically stable. Neurology was consulted due to …
The Use of Regional Catheters in Children Undergoing Repair of Aortic Coarctation

Objective The objective was to assess the effectiveness and safety of peripheral regional anesthesia in congenital cardiac surgical patients undergoing thoracotomy for aortic coarctation. Design A retrospective chart review of pediatric patients ( Setting A single center children's hospital. Participants The median age was 172 days (IQR 64-1315) in group C and 176 days (IQR 71-1146) in group M (SMD = 0.07). The median weight was 6.8 kg (IQR 4.8-13.6) in group C and 7.7 kg (4.6-17.4) in group M (SMD = 0.003). Measurements and Main Result Outcomes assessed were postoperative hospital length of stay, median pain scores in the first 24 and 48 hours, and total morphine equivalent use in the first 24 and 48 hours. Complications related to the catheters were reviewed. The median oral morphine equivalent dose administered in the first 24 hours was lower in group C than group M (0.8 mg/kg, IQR 0.5-1.1 vs. 1.4 mg/kg, IQR 0.9-1.7, p = 0.019). There were no major complications related to the catheters, including hematoma. Conclusions Peripheral regional catheters may be used to reduce opioid requirements in patients after CoA repair. Due to the low risk of these catheters, they should be considered as part of a pain management strategy for pediatric patients undergoing thoracotomy and should be incorporated into strategies to improve outcomes.
Modified Docetaxel, Cisplatin, and Fluorouracil (mDCF) as a Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Non-metastatic Esophageal Cancer (nMEC)

Objective: Perioperative chemotherapy can potentially downstage esophageal cancer, reducing the risk of early systemic dissemination. One recommended neoadjuvant regimen for managing gastroesophageal junction and esophageal cancer is docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (DCF). To address the high toxicity profile of DCF, modifications in dosages and treatment intervals have been studied. We integrated a modified DCF regimen (mDCF) into a multimodal treatment approach for non-metastatic esophageal cancer (nMEC). Retrospectively, we sought to describe our community experience of administrating neoadjuvant mDCF to patients with nMEC.Design: Patients diagnosed with nMEC between August 2008 and November 2017 and prescribed mDCF were identified for retrospective review. Outcomes of interest included disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and hematologic toxicities. Analyses were performed using SAS 9.4.Results: Thirty patients met inclusion criteria with a median age of 64.9 years; 90% were male. The 2-year and 5-year DFS was 60.8% and 41.7%, respectively, for adenocarcinoma and 71.4% and 71.4% for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The 2-year and 5-year OS was 64.9% and 44.5%, respectively, for adenocarcinoma and 71.4% and 71.4% for SCC. Both DFS and OS decreased with increasing disease stage, histology (adenocarcinoma versus squamous), esophageal compared to esophagogastric-junction involvement, and without surgical intervention. Frequent toxicity grades for leukopenia and thrombocytopenia were Grades I and II.Conclusion: Using an mDCF regimen in combination with chemoradiation +/- surgical resection in a community setting appears to have an acceptable toxicity profile as well as DFS and OS outcomes compared to chemotherapeutic regimens reported in other similar studies.
Artificial Intelligence's Role in Vascular Surgery Decision-Making

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) is the next great advance informing medical science. Several disciplines, including vascular surgery, employ AI-based decision-making tools to improve clinical performance. While applied widely, AI functions best when confronted with voluminous, accurate data. Consistent, predictable analytic technique selection also challenges researchers. This article contextualizes AI analyses within evidence-based medicine, focusing on “Big Data” and health services research, as well as discussing opportunities to improve data collection and realize AI's promise.
Exploring Rural Engineering Students’ College-Choice Process at Two Land-Grant Universities

This qualitative case study examines the college choice decisions of rural students enrolled in engineering majors to understand what conditions and experiences led rural students to pursue engineering at their institution. We found four themes that help illuminate rural engineering students’ college choice journeys (1) The Inextricable Nature of College, Major, and Career Choice (2) “The Smart Person Thing to Do:” The Power of Prestige, (3) “Are You Sure You Don’t Want to Change your Major?” Dissonance Between Aspirations and Expectations, and (4) School and Community as Crucial Resources in College and Major Exploration. These findings have implications for those working with rural high school students seeking engineering degrees and admissions processes at four-year colleges and universities.
HLA Polyclonal and Monoclonal Xenoantibodies

A myriad of cellular functions are mediated through cell-cell interactions and are a result of communication by surface-membrane structures; therefore, these structures, particularly human histocompatibility (HLA) antigens and their functions, are the subjects of intense analysis. The characterization of these membrane components would be quite difficult were it not that most of these molecules are antigenic and elicit the production of specific antibodies through allo- or xenoimmunization. Alloimmunization produces antibodies to antigenic determinants that are polymorphic within a species (alloantigens); the latter method produces antibodies to these determinants as well as to species-specific determinants. Virtually all allo- and xenoantisera contain multiple populations of antibodies that differ in affinity, specificity, and titer, and are the products of distinct clones of cells. These conventional allo- and xenoantisera will be referred to as polyclonal antisera.
Data Conversion and Quantization

This chapter contains sections titled: Domain Conversion ADC Taxonomy ADC Enhancement Techniques DSP Data Representation Quantization Error MAC Units MATLAB Support ]]>
Using predators to combat worms and viruses: a simulation-based study

Large-scale attacks generated by fast-spreading or stealthy malicious mobile code, such as flash worms and e-mail viruses, demand new approaches to patch management and disinfection. Currently popular centralized approaches suffer from distribution bottlenecks which cannot be solved by merely increasing the number of servers, as the number of servers required to eliminate all bottlenecks is impractically large. Recently, predators were proposed as a technique for eliminating automated mobile malware from computer networks. Predators are benevolent, self-propagating mobile programs which have the ability to clean up systems infected by malignant worms/viruses. We propose a number of extensions to the original predator model, including immunizing predators, persistent predators, and seeking predators. We report on a set of simulations which explore the effects of predators on small-scale (800 to 1600 node) networks. Our results indicate that predators hold significant promise as an alternative to the centralized patch distribution mechanism. The results show that predators can be used to disinfect systems and distribute patches rapidly across the network, without suffering from bottlenecks or causing network congestion. The results also show that the new predator models provide significant benefits over the original predator model. The simulation tool is also useful for tuning predator behavior, so that an optimal tradeoff between the peak virus/worm infection rate and the overhead generated by the predator can be chosen before a predator is released.
No Evidence of Emotion Dysregulation in “Hypersexuals” Reporting Their Emotions to a Sexual Film

People who report distress due to their frequent use of visual sexual stimuli (VSS) may experience primarily negative affect, primarily positive affect, or coactivation of positive and negative affect when consuming VSS. Theories of sexual addiction suggest that these individuals regulate their emotions poorly, as evidenced by coactivation of positive and negative emotions during sexual stimulation. Men and women who either reported problems down-regulating their use of VSS (VSS-P, N = 71) or no problem regulating use of VSS (VSS-C, N = 49) watched a neutral film and a sexual film. They reported their positive and negative feelings after each film. Unexpectedly, the VSS-P group exhibited significantly less coactivation of positive and negative affect to the sexual film than VSS-C. This is inconsistent with emotion dysregulation, supposedly a key feature of “hypersexual disorder.” Affect regulation could be failing at a different stage of sexual stimulus processing not studied. Theories about hypersexualit...
Weight functions for rigid line inclusions

ABSTRACT A theory is developed for weight functions for rigid line inclusions in a direct correspondence with cracks. For Mode I deformation the weight function is obtained.
Emerging technology in intracranial neuroendoscopy: application of the NICO Myriad.

Improvement in fiber optics and imaging paved the way for tremendous advancements in neuroendoscopy. These advancements have led to increasingly widespread use of the endoscope in neurosurgical procedures, which in turn incited a technological revolution leading to new approaches, instruments, techniques, and a diverse armamentarium for the treatment of a variety of neurosurgical disorders. Soft-tissue removal is often a rate-limiting aspect to endoscopic procedures, especially when the soft tissue is dense or fibrous. The authors review a series of cases involving patients treated between August 2009 and October 2010 with a new device (the NICO Myriad), a non–heat-generating, oscillating, cutting, and tissue removal instrument that can be used through the working channel of the endoscope as well as in open neurosurgical procedures. They used this device in 14 purely endoscopic intracranial procedures and 1 endoscope-assisted keyhole craniotomy. They report that the device was easy to use and found that t...
POLITICALLY REALISTIC UNIONISM: THE CALIFORNIA PRISON OFFICERS ASSOCIATION AND THE STRUGGLE OVER THE “PUBLIC GOOD”

Drawing on a decade of research, this article demonstrates that the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA), the labor union that represents prison officers in the Golden State, became one of the nation's most successful and politically influential unions in the 1990s due to a combination of social and penal developments, and the organization's politically realistic model of unionization. To advance its members' interests and a particularly punitive vision of the public good, the CCPOA implemented tactics typically associated with social movement unionism, such as forming and working with nonlabor community groups (in this case, crime victims' organizations). Showing that the CCPOA was (and, in some ways, still is) a key participant in the conservative movement for “law and order,” this article extends our understanding of social movement unionism. It also argues that scholars, activists, and organizations committed to labor unions and progressive penal reform must struggle with groups like the CCPOA to move forward a conception of the public good based on justice, equality, and fairness.
Yield models in a design for manufacturability environment: a bibliography

The bibliography has been compiled for the convenience and use of those in the semiconductor manufacturing area interested in yield modeling. Volumes have been written on the use of models to predict yield of VLSI circuits. The papers that comprise this bibliography address the topical area of yield models/evaluation and have been broken out into five area: yield models, critical area, defect density, layout/tools and books and review articles. >
Worlding Cities: Asian Experiments and the Art of Being global (Ananya Roy and Aihwa Ong, editors)

In Worlding Cities: Asian Experiments and the Art of Being Global, Ananya Roy and Aihwa Ong bring together an impressive array of scholarship on Asian cities (broadly defined) that interrogates the...
Solid organ transplant in individuals with monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Keywords: monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis; chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; renal disease; transplant; immunosuppression
Similarity inheritance: a new model of inheritance for spreadsheet VPLs

Although spreadsheets can be argued to be the most widely used visual programming languages (VPLs) today, most are very limited compared to other VPLs, supporting only a few built-in types and offering only primitive support for code reuse. The inheritance mechanisms of object oriented programming might seem to offer help for the latter problem, but incorporating these mechanisms in a traditional way would introduce concepts foreign to spreadsheets, such as message passing. We present similarity inheritance, a new approach to inheritance that is suitable for seamless integration into the spreadsheet paradigm. We first explain the model independently of any implementation, and then present a prototype implementation in the research spreadsheet VPL Forms/3. We show that bringing inheritance functionality to the spreadsheet paradigm can be done using the widely understood idea of copy/paste. Further, we show why the approach requires the presence of a live, visual environment.
Prolonged Ca2+ and force transients in myosin RLC transgenic mouse fibers expressing malignant and benign FHC mutations.

Abstract Clinical studies have revealed that mutations in the ventricular myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) lead to the development of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC), an autosomal dominant disease characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy, myofibrillar disarray and sudden cardiac death. While mutations in other contractile proteins have been studied widely by others, there is no report elucidating the mechanism(s) associated with FHC-linked RLC mutations. In this study, we have assessed the functional consequences of two RLC mutations, R58Q and N47K, in transgenic mice. Clinical phenotypes associated with these mutations included inter-ventricular hypertrophy, abnormal ECG findings and the R58Q mutation caused multiple cases of premature sudden cardiac death. Simultaneous measurements of the ATPase and force in transgenic skinned papillary muscle fibers from mutated versus control mice showed an increase in the Ca2+ sensitivity of ATPase and steady-state force only in R58Q fibers. The calculated energy cost or rate of dissociation of force generating myosin cross-bridges (ATPase/force ratio) plotted as a function of activation state was the same in all groups of fibers. Both mutations caused prolonged [Ca2+] transients in electrically stimulated intact papillary muscles; however, the R58Q mutation also resulted in a significantly prolonged force transient. Our results suggest that the phenotypes of FHC observed in patients harboring these RLC mutations correlate with the extent of physiological changes monitored in transgenic fibers. Cardiac hypertrophy observed in patients is most likely caused by the activation of compensatory mechanisms ensuing from higher workloads due to incomplete relaxation as evidenced by prolonged [Ca2+] transients for both N47K and R58Q fibers. Furthermore, the poor prognosis of the R58Q patients may be associated with more severe diastolic dysfunction due to the slower off-rate of Ca2+ from troponin C leading to longer force and [Ca2+] transients and increased Ca2+ sensitivity of ATPase and force.