cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toward an “Unburnable City” Reimagining the Urban Landscape in 1930s Japanese Media

In the late 1930s, during the first years of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), the Japanese government tasked the Home Ministry (Naimushō) with the promotion of urban civil defense. A critical element in these government media campaigns was the promotion of the “unburnable city” (moenai toshi), an ideal cityscape that could better withstand the incendiary ravages of aerial bombardment. This article examines the multimedia “unburnable city” campaign in Japan from two perspectives: as part of broader international concerns regarding the effect of aviation technology on modern warfare in the 1930s and as a regional issue that required unique representational strategies to adequately convey the threat of aerial attack not yet experienced in the Japanese homeland. I discuss how memories of the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake and its subsequent fires functioned as a traumatic surrogate to communicate the physical and emotional stakes of civic duty and urban reform to Japanese urbanites mobilizing for “total...
Antiretroviral therapy modifies the genetic effect of known type 2 diabetes-associated risk variants in HIV-infected women.

OBJECTIVE Type 2 diabetes mellitus incidence is increased in HIV-infected persons. We examined the associations of diabetes mellitus with known diabetes mellitus-risk alleles from the general population in the context of HIV infection, and explored effect modification by combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). METHODS The Women's Interagency HIV Study is a prospective cohort of HIV-infected women. Seventeen European-derived diabetes mellitus-risk polymorphisms were genotyped in the eligible participants of the Women's Interagency HIV Study. Analyses were run separately for non-African Americans (Whites, Hispanics, Asians, and other; n = 378, 49 with incident diabetes mellitus) and African Americans (n = 591, 49 with incident diabetes mellitus). Cox proportional-hazards models were fit to estimate hazard ratios for diabetes mellitus overall and within strata of cART. RESULTS In non-African Americans, heterogeneity across cART regimen was observed for nine of the 14 polymorphisms (phet < 0.05). One polymorphism was statistically significantly inversely associated with diabetes mellitus risk among women taking two nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) + non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). Five polymorphisms were statistically significantly associated with diabetes mellitus among women treated with at least two NRTIs + at least one protease inhibitor and one polymorphism was associated with diabetes mellitus among those treated with at least three NRTIs ± NNRTI. The hazard ratio per risk allele for IGF2BP2 rs1470579 was 2.67 (95% confidence interval 1.67-4.31) for women taking cART with at least two NRTIs + at least one protease inhibitor and 2.45 (95% confidence interval 1.08-5.53) in women taking at least three NRTIs ± NNRTI (phet = 2.50 × 10⁻³). No such associations were observed in the African Americans. CONCLUSIONS Genetic susceptibility to diabetes mellitus, based on the variants studied, is substantially elevated among HIV-infected women using cART containing three or more NRTI/protease inhibitor components. A personalized medicine approach to cART selection may be indicated for HIV-infected persons carrying these diabetes mellitus-risk variants.
The Conidial Stage of Peziza Pustulata

Heat treatment which is so effective in inducing germination of ascospores of some species has been found indispensable in connection with genetic work with species of Neurospora, Gelasinospora and certain other forms. While the method is very effective in growing Ascobolus carbonarius, it is of practically no value to induce germination of spores of Ascobolus magnificus. It is very desirable that a method be discovered for germinating the spores of this species as well as those of other Ascomycetes where it has been reported that the primary ascus nucleus is tetraploid, while the nuclei of the vegetative hyphae are haploid. If this can be supported genetically it will settle once for all the controversy over double fertilization in the Ascomycetes. Ascobolus magnificus varies sufficiently to be adaptable for genetic work if the eight spores of an ascus could be made to germinate. It is now twenty-five years since the writer published that note on "Artificial cultures of Ascobolus and Aleuria" (Mycologia 4: 218-222. 1912). Heat treatment was found to be effective in bringing about germination of the ascospores of the form reported as Aleuria umbrina. Fruiting bodies for that work had been found in the first weeks of June of that year on a spot where
Financial Market Assumptions & Models for Pension Plans: A Technical Comment on the PIMS Model Assumptions for Asset Markets

The financial market assumptions of the PBGC’s PIMS model are critical inputs to simulations for most apparent uses of the system. They currently appear to be based on a reduced form, "classical" approach to assessing and forecasting the distribution of returns on various classes of input assets, allowing for a fairly sophisticated and useful approach to understanding simulated distributions of potential pension insurance outcomes as well as the net financial status of the PBGC. This technical note discusses some of the capital market side assumptions utilized in the model. It also comments on important related assumptions including the assumed asset allocations of insured plans, making suggestion for possible modification of input assumptions of the model to reflect time variation in financial market return behavior as well as time variation in observed plan allocations.
Myxoedema coma: a forgotten presentation of extreme hypothyroidism

A 66-year-old woman presented to the emergency department after being found unconscious in her home. She lived alone and had no contact with the healthcare system for the past 20 years. On presentation, her vital signs included a temperature of 31.2°C (88.2°F), heart rate of 46 bpm and blood pressure of 109/64 mm Hg. On examination, she had thin and brittle hair, loss of the lateral third of her eyebrows, macroglossia and doughy periorbital oedema (figure 1). Laboratory data revealed a thyroid-stimulating hormone of …
Composition and production of California oak savanna seasonally grazed by sheep

Seasonal grazing trials, conducted over 3 years at the Hopland Field Station in Mendocino County, Calif., tested the effects of 2 seasonal grazing strategies on within- and between-year production and composition in blue oak (Quercus douglasii H.A.) savanna understory and adjacent open annual grassland. Moderate intensity summer-fall-winter and spring-summer sheep use had few within-year effects. In contrast, production and composition varied considerably between years in both treatments. Forbs (especially legumes) decreased in open grassland and oak understory between years within both seasonal grazing regimes. This change could not have been caused by selective grazing because there were no corresponding within-year patterns. Instead, between-year changes are more likely related to nonselective effects of stocking rate and/or weather. Results from this study suggest that seasonal grazing systems offer little potential for improvement of annual range composition.
ADHD and Psychoactive Substance Abuse

The effect of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to psychiatric comorbidity, familiality, and adversity, as risk factors for psychoactive substance use disorder (PSUD) was evaluated at the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.
Synthetic Development of Low Dimensional Materials

In this invited paper, we highlight some of our most recent work on the synthesis of low dimensional nanomaterials. Current graduate students and members of our group present four specific case systems: Nowotny–Juza phases, nickel phosphides, germanium-based core/shells, and organolead mixed-halide perovskites. Each system is accompanied by commentary from the student involved, which explains the motivation behind their work, as well as a protocol detailing the key experimental considerations involved in their synthesis. We trust these and similar efforts will help further advance our understanding of the broader field of synthetic nanomaterials chemistry, while, at the same time, highlighting how important this area is to the development of new materials for technologically relevant applications.
AML Depends on VEGFR1 and Not VEGFR2 for Proliferation and Protection From Chemotherapy

Abstract 3598 Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its cognate receptors (VEGFRs) are known to serve important roles in normal hematopoiesis, but the importance of the VEGF/VEGFR axis in malignant hematopoiesis, namely acute myeloid leukemia (AML), is poorly defined. Methods: Bone marrow from AML patients were analyzed for VEGFRs on the malignant myeloblast populations. Human myeloid leukemia cell lines, KG-1, HL60 and K562, were also evaluated for VEGFR expression. Knockdown of VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 receptors in AML cells expressing these receptors were performed using lentivirus transfection of shRNA. Cell proliferation was quantified using XTT colorimetric assay and apoptosis was evaluated by Annexin V and PI staining. Results: Bone marrow from 12 consecutive AML patients showed that 33% of patients had malignant myeloblasts that expressed VEGFR1. Of the AML cell lines tested, only KG-1 cells expressed VEGFR1 and VEGFR2. Knockdown of VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 in KG-1 cells were confirmed by Western blot. When VEGFR1 was knocked down in KG-1 leukemia cells, cell proliferation was significant decreased (Figure 1). In addition, knocking down VEGFR1 resulted in enhanced sensitivity to cytarabine chemotherapy (Figure 1). In contrast, knockdown of VEGFR2 did not result in changes in leukemia cell proliferation or sensitivity to cytarabine chemotherapy (Figure 2). When KG-1 leukemia cells knocked down for VEGFR1 expression were transplanted into sublethally, irradiated NOD/scid/IL2R□ −/− (NSG) mice (n=10), none of the mice showed engraftment of VEFR1 deficient cells. Conclusions: The VEGF/VEGFR axis is an important determinant in AML pathobiology. In specific, AML cells depend upon VEGFR1 and this receptor represents a promising target for future therapeutic intervention. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
THAT FREE PLAY OF THE SPIRIT

(1968). “THAT FREE PLAY OF THE SPIRIT”. Speech Association of America: Committee on Freedom of Speech - Yearbook: Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 22-28.
Confirmed case of levamisole-associated multifocal inflammatory leukoencephalopathy in a cocaine user

Levamisole is a common adulterant in cocaine and has previously been associated with a variety of serious complications including multifocal inflammatory leukoencephalopathy (MIL). There have been several reports of MIL in patients taking cocaine and, though suspected, the presence of levamisole was not confirmed. We present a case of a 63-year-old woman presenting with stupor and spastic quadraparesis found to have urine positive for cocaine and levamisole. An MRI brain revealed innumerable FLAIR hyperintensities with restricted diffusion and incomplete ring-enhancement. This is the first case to confirm the presence of levamisole in a patient with MIL associated with cocaine use.
Generation of density perturbations at the end of inflation

Recently a mechanism was proposed whereby the primordial density perturbations are generated at the end of inflation. We continue the analysis of the proposed model of this mechanism and calculate the maximum extent to which the density perturbations produced via this model can dominate over those of the standard inflationary paradigm. In addition, we provide a straightforward variation of this model which allows for greater amplification of the density perturbations. Finally, we show that a variation in the implementation of the original model results in significant non-Gaussianities in the resulting spectrum of density perturbations. The level of non-Gaussianities can be made to saturate the current observational bound.
Wide-area control of power systems using cloud-in-the-loop feedback

We propose the use of cloud-computing platforms and virtual network laboratories such as GENI (Global Environment for Network Innovations), together with high-speed software defined networks such as Internet2 to combat various cyber-physical implementation challenges for wide-area control of large power systems using Synchrophasors. Experimental results from a cloud-in-the-loop testbed environment are reported to support our proposed architecture.
Range Image Segmentation Through Fuzzy and Possibilistic Shell Clustering

Segmentation and surface approximation (i.e., description of surfaces in terms of parametrized surface patches) is an important step in range image analysis. In this paper, we show that the surface approximation problem can be formulated in terms of a C-means type fuzzy clustering algorithm with suitable (shell-like) prototypes and distance measures. We present an unsupervised fuzzy clustering algorithm to obtain an approximation of a range image in terms of planar and quadric surface patches.
Recent advances in free-standing single crystalline wide band-gap semiconductors and their applications: GaN, SiC, ZnO, β-Ga2O3, and diamond

Free-standing single crystalline semiconductor membranes have gained intensive attention over the last few years due to their versatile usage in many applications. This material platform possesses a high level of material quality similar to their bulk counterparts because single crystallinity is maintained. Si, Ge, and III–V based membranes have been widely studied for flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices such as thin-film transistors and photodetectors. However, the current status of research and development on free-standing single crystalline wide band-gap membranes is at a relatively early stage compared to IV and III–V based membranes. This review highlights recent advances in free-standing wide band-gap membranes, including GaN, SiC, ZnO, β-Ga2O3, and diamond and their applications. Fabrication techniques of each membrane are presented with material characterization. Some prospects for new research opportunities and challenges are also discussed.
Neoadjuvant systemic therapy in invasive lobular breast cancer: Is it indicated?

Abstract Background This study investigated patients with invasive lobular breast carcinoma (ILC) to determine the benefit of neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAST). Methods Patients with ILC treated from 2006 to 2015 were identified. Tumor characteristics and treatment data were analyzed. Results Of the 560 patients with ILC, 77 patients received NAST. Patients who received NAST presented with larger clinical T stages compared to patients who received surgery first (p Conclusions Only a minority of patients with ILC achieve pCR. The majority of patients still undergo mastectomy; therefore the benefit of NAST in ILC appears limited.
Level-set simulation of anisotropic phase transformations via faceted growth

Abstract Level-set method is used to simulate phase transformations with anisotropic kinetics where the transforming interface is faceted. The method overcomes previous limitation of this simulation methodology in tracking dynamic evolution of a large number of growing grains. The method is then used to simulate multi-grain phase transformations where the facets are three low-index ([1 0 0], [1 1 1], [1 1 0]) planes that yield morphologies including cube, octahedron and rhombic dodecahedron. The microstructure evolves under site-saturated nucleation and constant nucleation rate. The cube morphology undergoes fastest transformation followed by octahedron, rhombic dodecahedron and sphere. It is also shown that the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmorgorov theory can be used to describe the kinetics of the faceted phase transformation. The resulting microstructure shows non-convex grain shapes with highly corrugated surfaces. The structures are also characterized using the average grain length along certain low index crystallographic directions, the coherent length. This measurement shows that for a cubic morphology, there is a significant difference in the coherent length for low index directions, while there is no meaningful difference in the coherent length for kinetic Wulff shapes of other anisotropies examined.
The Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Subclone Sequence Type 131-H30 Is Responsible for Most Antibiotic Prescription Errors at an Urgent Care Clinic.

Background The pandemic spread of antibiotic resistance increases the likelihood of ineffective empirical therapy. The recently emerged fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli sequence type (ST) 131-H30R subclone (H30) is a leading cause of multidrug-resistant urinary tract infection (UTI) and bloodstream infection worldwide. Methods We studied the relative impact of H30 on the likelihood that bacteria isolated from urine of urgent care patients would be resistant to the empirically prescribed antibiotic regimen for UTI. Results Of 750 urinalysis-positive urine samples from urgent care patients with suspected UTI, 306 (41%) yielded E. coli, from 35 different clonal groups (clonotypes). H30 predominated (14% prevalence overall), especially among older patients (age ≥70 years: 26%) and those with diabetes (43%) or urinary catheterization (60%). Resistance to the empirically selected antibiotic regimen occurred in 16% (40/246) of patients overall, 28% (20/71) of older patients, 30% (8/27) of patients with diabetes, 60% (3/5) of catheterized patients, and 71% (22/30) of those with H30. H30's contribution to such mismatched antibiotic selection was 55% overall, 70% among older patients, and 100% among patients with diabetes or a urinary catheter. Among patients with ≥2 of these factors (older age, diabetes, or urinary catheter), 24% of all urinalysis-positive urine samples yielded H30, with a 92% likelihood of resistance to the selected empirical therapy. Conclusions The multidrug-resistant H30 subclone of E. coli ST131 is responsible for the great majority of mismatched empirical antibiotic prescriptions for suspected UTI at an urgent care clinic among patients ≥70 years old or with diabetes or urinary catheterization.
Stimuli to Invention: New Technologies, New Audiences, New Images

Johannes Gutenberg’s innovation of printing with moveable metal type, c. 1450, is considered the key development that set the Renaissance -and Modern times Vladimir Pedagogical University apart from the late Middle Ages. Scholars also point to a revival of antique humanism and an interest in reviving ancient art forms, but printing with moveable metal type meant that books as we know them could be made, rather than unique, quirky idiosyncratic manuscripts. Now, we can all read the exact same words on the same page of our individual impressions of the same book and actually establish a standard text. This, however, was not Gutenberg’s only intention. He also wished to issue books to meet the demand for them and to make a profit.1
The interaction of thioglycolic acid and pyrite

Thioglycolic acid (TGA) has been shown to depress the recovery of pyrite by either the froth flotation or the oil agglomeration process. Hence, it can provide a means for improving the separation of coal and pyrite by these methods. For a better understanding of the interaction between TGA and pyrite, FTIR-PAS was used to study the adsorption of TGA on freshly ground mineral pyrite, oxidized pyrite, sulfurized pyrite, elemental sulfur and coal. Exposure of freshly ground pyrite to ambient air for a few hours produced a thin layer of iron sulfate, and subsequent treatment of the material with an acidic solution seemed to leave a film or coating of sulfur. While freshly ground pyrite and coal were found to adsorb TGA at pH 3, the adsorption of TGA by sulfur required a pH of 4.6 or higher. Experimental evidence indicated that the adsorption of TGA by either pyrite or elemental sulfur involved the formation of a metal thioglycolate, whereas the adsorption of TGA by coal involved a different mechanism, probably hydrogen bonding of the C=O group of TGA to an –OH group on the coal surface or hydrogen bonding between the carboxyl group of TGA and a carboxyl group on the surface.
Research Governance and Research Funding in the USA: What the Academic Surgeon Needs to Know

Along with education and surgical care, research informs every aspect of an academic department of surgery, from faculty composition, to trainee selection, to financial outcome. In pursuit of their goals, academic departments must create a culture of investigation. Departmental leadership should seek to create scientific diversity in the form of investigators, research topics, and physical facilities.
Normal Approximations and the Central Limit Theorem

Many of the special discrete and special continuous distributions that we have discussed can be well approximated by a normal distribution for suitable configurations of their underlying parameters. Typically, the normal approximation works well when the parameter values are such that the skewness of the distribution is small. For example, binomial distributions are well approximated by a normal distribution when n is large and p is not too small or too large. Gamma distributions are well approximated by a normal distribution when the shape parameter α is large. Whenever we see a certain phenomenon empirically all too often, we might expect that there is a unifyingmathematical result there, and in this case indeed there is. The unifyingmathematical result is one of the most important results in all of mathematics and is called the central limit theorem. The subject of central limit theorems is incredibly diverse. In this chapter, we present the basic or the canonical central limit theorem and its applications to certain problems with which we are already familiar. Among numerous excellent references on central limit theorems, we recommend Feller (1968, 1971) and Pitman (1992) for lucid expositions and examples. The subject of central limit theorems also has a really interesting history; we recommend Le Cam (1986) and Stigler (1986) in this area. Careful and comprehensive mathematical treatments are available in Hall (1992) and Bhattacharya and Rao (1986). For a diverse selection of examples, see DasGupta (2008).
Progress in Icing Research

This paper presents a non-technical survey of the research being done on the meteorological aspects of aircraft icing. The organization of the program and functions of four installations in the U. S. are indicated. After a short qualitative discussion of the flow around cylinders, several new specialized instruments are described, and some of the theory developed to interpret their data is treated briefly.
Public Administrator Practice as Recognition: A Philosophical Case for Public Sector Cultural Competence

Cultural competency seeks to promote more constructive and equitable interactions in an increasingly diverse public sector workforce and constituency. However, it continues to meet great resistance...
Microvascular mechanisms limiting skeletal muscle blood flow with advancing age

Effective oxygen delivery to active muscle fibers requires that vasodilation initiated in distal arterioles, which control flow distribution and capillary perfusion, ascends the resistance network ...
Outcomes of secondary solid tumor malignancies among patients with myeloma: A population‐based study

BACKGROUND Therapeutic advances have extended survival for patients with myeloma, who may develop secondary cancers. METHODS Using the population-based Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry (2004-2015), the authors examined the characteristics, overall and cause-specific survival, and cumulative incidence function of cancer-related death among patients with myeloma with secondary cancers of the breast, prostate, lung, colon/rectum, or bladder or melanoma. Each patient was matched based on age, sex, race, and year of diagnosis to 50 controls from a general population who were diagnosed with the index cancer. RESULTS Patients with myeloma with breast, prostate, or lung cancer were more commonly diagnosed at an early stage, whereas the stage distribution did not differ significantly among patients with melanoma, colorectal cancer, or bladder cancer. For all studied cancers except those of the lung, overall mortality was significantly higher among patients with myeloma compared with controls (hazard ratios, 1.84-2.81). However, the cumulative incidence function of cancer-related death did not differ (subhazard ratios, 0.84-0.99) and was surpassed by myeloma-related deaths (23% to 35% at 5 years). In patients with lung cancer, cancer-related mortality was uniquely lower among patients with myeloma (subhazard ratio, 0.59; 95% confidence interval, 0.52-0.68), even after adjustment for stage of disease. There was no significant difference noted with regard to noncancer deaths for any studied solid tumor. Use of surgery (evaluated in patients with nonmetastatic tumors, and in addition matched by disease stage) did not differ between cases and controls, except for fewer prostatectomies being noted among patients with myeloma (odds ratio, 0.56; 95% confidence interval, 0.42-0.74). CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study support curative treatment approaches to secondary cancers among patients with myeloma while highlighting the need for ongoing active myeloma management.
Controls of the spatial variability of denitrification potential in nontidal floodplains of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA

Abstract Identifying floodplains with high rates of denitrification will help prioritize restoration projects for the removal of nitrogen. Currently, relationships of denitrification with hydrogeomorphic, physiographic, and climate (i.e., largescale) characteristics of floodplains are relatively unknown, even though these characteristics have datasets (e.g., geographic mapping tools) that are publicly available (or soon-to-become) that could be used to understand denitrification variability. Thus, we investigated control of denitrification by these largescale characteristics in eighteen nontidal floodplains of the Chesapeake Bay watershed (i.e., at regional scale, >100 km, scale), using measurements or compiled data at the scales of the stream reach and respective catchment; floodplain soil and herbaceous vegetation (i.e., local) characteristics were additionally investigated. Soil denitrification potentials were measured in May, July, and August using complementary acetylene-based techniques under an anoxic environment. Linear largescale predictors of denitrification potential measurements included stream nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations (+), channel width-to-depth ratio (+), floodplain sedimentation (+), forested (−) and urban (+) catchment land cover, and seasonal air temperature (−). Three predictors, catchment forested land cover (strongly related to agricultural land cover), catchment urban land cover, and floodplain sedimentation were related to the most number of denitrification potential measurements. Soil structure, soil nutrient concentrations, and herbaceous vegetation characteristics that were seasonally measured (with a few exceptions) were linear predictors of denitrification potentials in May and August, with nitrogen and carbon characteristics the most consistent (positive) predictors across measurements. Nutrient amendment assays further supported the importance of nitrogen and carbon controls. Using the local characteristics as statistical mediators in path analysis, greater non-forested catchment land cover indirectly increased denitrification through greater floodplain soil nitrate, total phosphorus, and herbaceous aboveground biomass. Additionally, greater floodplain sedimentation indirectly increased denitrification through greater soil pH, total phosphorus, and potential carbon mineralization. Due to the consistency of relationships across denitrification potential measurements along with path modeling results, hotspots of floodplain denitrification should be found in urban and agricultural catchments where river-floodplain hydrologic connectivity promotes sedimentation. Largescale predictors explained 43–57% of the variation in denitrification potentials and should be useful for prediction in floodplains. Siting restoration projects in watersheds for maximum nitrate removal using publicly available largescale datasets is both feasible and effective.
The use of baseline tumor size to prognosticate overall survival in stage IV melanoma patients treated with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab.

Historically patients who developed stage IV melanoma were expected to live less than one year. Clinical outcome was heterogeneous as evidenced by a tail end to the overall survival (OS) curve which identifies a small subset of patients, encompassing less than 10% of the total population, who are long term survivors (1).
Semi-supervised estimation of covariance with application to phenome-wide association studies with electronic medical records data.

Electronic medical records data are valuable resources for discovery research. They contain detailed phenotypic information on individual patients, opening opportunities for simultaneously studying...
Vestibular Screening in Pediatric Patients with Otitis Media

Background Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a common cause of vestibular disturbances in children. However, young children often lack the language to express their symptoms, and it is uncommon to screen children for vestibular impairments. Purpose The purpose of this study was to develop a screening protocol for children presenting with OME to determine if diagnostic vestibular testing is necessary. Research design Children with normal hearing (NH), sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), and conductive hearing loss (CHL) due to OME participated in a vestibular screening. Study sample There were 30 participants, ages four to eight years, ranging from 48 to 101 months included in the study: 10 with NH, 11 with CHL due to OME, and 9 with SNHL. Data collection and analysis The vestibular screening consists of patient and parent questionnaires and a functional evaluation. The tests examined coordination, balance, oculomotor function, and nystagmus. Results Those with CHL were significantly more likely to display abnormal smoothness of pursuit, as measured with observations for rapid tracking, absence of or delayed saccades, and overshoot, than those with NH or SNHL (p = 0.012). Parents of children with CHL due to OME were more likely to report their child experiencing middle ear pressure than the parents of children with NH or SNHL (p = 0.010). In addition, children with CHL were less likely to report hearing loss than those with NH or SNHL. Parent and patient report were not found to be reliable indicators of vestibular disturbances. Conclusions This pilot study suggests that children with CHL due to OME present with more oculomotor abnormalities than their peers with NH. Further research is necessary to determine validity and reliability of the findings for this present study.
Current Treatment of Febrile Neutropenia

Chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN) is a common side effect of anticancer drugs used for treatment of solid tumors. Neutropenic cancer patients are more than 50 times more likely to develop an infection, often bacterial, which can develop febrile neutropenia (FN), a toxicity that requires rigorous treatment. FN is not only potentially life-threatening, but may also alter the patient’s chemotherapy schedule to impact their long-term outcomes. The significant impact of CIN and FN on cancer patients makes it imperative to develop a standardized guideline of prophylactic treatment of CIN. Thus, we conducted a literature review to provide a guideline that compiles guidelines from reputable cancer treatment institutions. Currently, guidelines differ slightly between sources and yet agree upon the vast majority of core practice to ensure the patient safety which we present here to provide as a practice guideline.
Microbial challenge study and quality evaluation of cumin seeds pasteurized by continuous radio frequency processing

Abstract The objective of this study was to validate the continuous radio frequency pasteurization of cumin seeds and evaluate cumin quality after treatment. In the present study, microbial validation of continuous radiofrequency (RF) pasteurization of cumin seeds was investigated. The specific heat capacity was measured for three batches of cumin samples with two replicates. Specific heat capacity values of batch 2 and 3 were similar, while the values showed variation when compared to that of batch 1. Overall, no significant differences were found in color, total phenolics, antioxidant activity and relative compositions of volatile compounds in cumin seeds before and after continuous RF pasteurization. However, when individual peak areas of volatiles were compared, the treated samples of all three batches were significantly different from their corresponding control samples. This continuous RF microbial validation study can be used for scaling-up RF pasteurization technology to an industrial scale. This study shows that RF holds a great potential for the industrial pasteurization of cumin seeds.
Beauty and Maintainability of Code

Software maintenance has been estimated to cost between 40% and 90% of the total build cost. Yet, the literature has given little or no attention to investigating whether good programming style can measurably affect maintainability and if so, how so and how much. This paper studies a fractal, relativistic approach to measuring programming style called the beauty factor (or "beauty") in relation to three different metrics of maintainability. We put forward two testable hypotheses. First, code with increasing beauty tends to be more maintainable. Second, beauty is distinct property of code. We test hypotheses on a corpus of 53,000 lines of open source code written by experienced systems programmers. We conduct statistical correlation analysis with 33 experiments in total. As the primary finding, the data show maximum statistically significant absolute correlation is |ρ|=0.61. In other words, at least 63% variations in beauty cannot be explained by variations in maintainability. These results lend support to both hypotheses. The data further show indentation is more reliably correlated with maintainability compared to mnemonics or documentation and GNU style is more correlated with maintainability compared to K&R, BSD, or Linux styles.
When the Temporal Artery Biopsy is Negative: A Case Series of Headache Attributed to Polymyalgia Rheumatica.

Introduction Older adults presenting with a new or changed headache pattern in the setting of a diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) are at risk for incident giant cell arteritis. However, the differential diagnosis of headache has not been evaluated in patients with a negative temporal artery biopsy (TAB). Headache has not been described as a symptom of PMR. Methods After prospectively identifying an individual felt to have headache attributed to PMR, we performed a chart review to identify additional cases. As a secondary outcome, we summarized alternative headache diagnoses in patients with PMR, headache and a negative TAB. Results A 75-year-old woman presented with a subacute history of radiating cervical pain in the setting of a 3 month history of lower back stiffness at rest and fatigue. Clinical examination was suggestive of a cervicogenic headache. Following treatment with low-dose corticosteroid for PMR, headaches, cervical mobility and systemic findings resolved with treatment of PMR with low-dose corticosteroid. In our cohort of 36 patients, we identified a single additional patient meeting our study criteria for headache attributed to PMR. Three additional patients met all but 1 diagnostic criterion. The retrospective case was a 73-year-old woman with a subacute history of both morning-predominant headaches and muscle stiffness, diagnosed with PMR. Headaches remitted with low-dose corticosteroid and relapsed with corticosteroid taper. Conclusions Headache attributed to PMR is a steroid-responsive syndrome which should be considered in an older adult presenting with features of PMR, when the TAB is negative. Diagnostic criteria for headache attributed to PMR are proposed.
Correlations Between Cyberspace Attacks and Kinetic Attacks

Although confrontations in cyberspace can conceivably stay in cyberspace (or at least not involve violent conflict), they can also become entangled with confrontations in the physical world. This paper explores how, by raising the following questions: (1) Do countries retaliate in the real world for operations in cyberspaceƒ (2) Would countries make an equivalence between the damage from cyberattacks and from physical attacks (in ways that could spill over from the one to the other)ƒ (3) Does cyberspace escalation lead to kinetic escalation and is the reverse also trueƒ (4) Can cyberspace operations against sensitive targets put them in play for kinetic operationsƒ (5) Would the failure to react to cyberattacks embolden attackers to carry out kinetic attacksƒ This paper leverages what is known and what can be logically assumed about cyber operations, notably by drawing lessons from Russia’s use of cyberspace operations in Georgia and Ukraine, Iran’s cyber and physical attacks against Saudi Aramco, and China’s military doctrine vis-a-vis U.S. space assets. The broad conclusion is that, so far, conflict in cyberspace rarely echoes into the world of kinetic conflict (although kinetic conflict increasingly has cyberspace dimensions). This raises the question of whether and why a threshold is emerging between non-lethal and lethal attacks.
Sympathetic ophthalmia presenting 5 days after penetrating injury

Abstract Purpose To describe a rare case of early sympathetic ophthalmia that presented 5 days after penetrating injury. Observations A 13-year-old boy presented with a penetrating left globe injury from a BB metallic projectile that was emergently repaired. Five days later, routine dilated exam of the right eye revealed interval development of vitritis over the posterior pole. Optical coherence tomography revealed fine, vitreous hyper-reflective material. Intravenous and topical steroid therapy was started, and the patient underwent prompt enucleation of the traumatized eye. Histopathologic examination of the globe demonstrated lymphocytic choroiditis and macrophage infiltration, consistent with prior reports of early sympathetic ophthalmia. The sympathizing eye maintained 20/20 acuity and never caused visual complaints. Conclusions and importance This is the earliest reported case of sympathetic ophthalmia, to our knowledge, and it presented without visual symptoms only five days after penetrating trauma. This case suggests that routine examination should start before the typical 14 days associated with development of sympathetic ophthalmia.
Impact of Carbon Support Structure on the Durability of PtCo Electrocatalysts

High performing, low-Pt content fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) are critical to the economic viability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) for the transportation industry. Considerable research has been conducted to reduce the Pt content in fuel cells, leading to the development of transition metal alloys, such as Platinum-Cobalt (PtCo). The degree of degradation of PtCo catalysts can be impacted by the catalyst metal itself and its interactions with the carbon support. Several low-loaded PtCo MEAs were fabricated, with various combinations of porous and solid carbon cathode catalyst supports. The MEAs were subjected to an accelerated stress test (AST), and the catalyst degradation characterized using electrochemical, X-ray scattering, and electron microscopy techniques. Porous supports retain more of their electrochemically-active surface area (ECSA) and demonstrate higher performance after the AST. This is believed to be due to the ability of the porous supports to trap the metal particles within the pores, slowing their dissolution/precipitation, and agglomeration.
New Learning: Life in schools

Overview This chapter characterises three different kinds of educational experience – didactic, authentic and transformative . Didactic education is relatively old, with roots as old as writing. However, it comes to global and near-universal prominence as the primary mode of learning in the mass-institutionalised education that emerged almost everywhere in the world in the 19th and 20th centuries. The experience of didactic education is still common today, for a variety of social, cultural and, at times, practical reasons. Mass, institutionalised education allowed parents to work while schools took care of children, imparting the basics of reading and writing, but perhaps more importantly inculcating in children a sense of discipline and order. Didactic teaching had teachers and textbooks telling, and learners getting their lessons right or wrong. In the didactic classroom, the teacher established a pattern of relationships in which students learnt to accept received facts and moral truths, to comply with commands given by the teacher and to absorb the knowledge authority of the curriculum. In these classroom settings, they learnt to get used to a balance of agency in which they were relatively powerless to act autonomously or to make knowledge themselves . Authentic education movements emerged in the 20th century, in part as a reaction to the culture of order and control characteristic of didactic education. The major principles of authentic education are that learners should take a more active part in their learning, and that this learning should be closely and practically connected to their life experiences.
Data-Parallel Computing: Data parallelism is a key concept in leveraging the power of today’s manycore GPUs.

Users always care about performance. Although often it’s just a matter of making sure the software is doing only what it should, there are many cases where it is vital to get down to the metal and leverage the fundamental characteristics of the processor.
Impact of Direct Admission Versus Interfacility Transfer on Endovascular Treatment Outcomes for Acute Ischemic Stroke: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background Mechanical thrombectomy is a proven treatment for large-vessel ischemic stroke with improved functional outcomes compared with intravenous thrombolytics. Access to thrombectomy-capable sites varies greatly by geography, often necessitating interhospital transfer of patients who first present to hospitals unable to provide thrombectomy. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the impact of interhospital transportation on patient outcomes to better inform recommendations for prehospital protocols. Methods A meta-analysis was performed following systematic literature searches. Outcomes of interest included successful reperfusion, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, 90-day modified Rankin Scale score 0–2, 90-day mortality, onset-to-puncture times, and door-to-puncture times. Results Pooled analysis comprised >27,000 patients. Door-to-puncture time was 35.6 minutes shorter among transferred patients; however, symptom onset-to-puncture time was 91.6 minutes longer. Rate of reperfusion or symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage as well as 90-day mortality did not differ significantly between transferred and directly admitted patients. While the proportion of patients achieving good functional outcome at 90 days with modified Rankin Scale score 0–2 did not differ by admission type, when modified Rankin Scale score was narrowed to 0–1, direct transport showed 20% greater probability of achieving excellent functional outcome (P Conclusions This meta-analysis represents the largest pooled population examined to date to assess how interfacility transportation to thrombectomy-capable sites affects patient outcomes. Our results indicate that direct admission is a significant predictor of excellent functional outcome. The findings presented here can be used to better inform quality improvement projects to streamline access to facilities providing endovascular mechanical thrombectomy capabilities.
A Preliminary Variable Selection Based Regression Analysis for Predicting Patient Satisfaction on Physician-Patient Cancer Prognosis Communication

We explore the use of variable selection methods to deal with high correlations among predicative variables (e.g., physician’s voice tone and language certainty) for examining physician communication associated with prognosis discussion with cancer patients. Our main method is principal component analysis. The comparative results show its benefit in predicting patient satisfaction on the prognosis communication. This preliminary regression analysis is expected to offer insights into patient-centered communication strategy design, especially for cancer prognosis communication with end-stage patients.
The International Legal Order

This paper reviews major directions in the recent scholarship of international law. Commissioned for the Oxford Handbook of Legal Studies (Peter Cane and Mark Tushnet, eds., Oxford University Press, 2003), it is highly synoptic, being limited to 10,000 words and 30 references. It argues that the Anglo-French scholar-practitioner focus on disputes and on third-party settlement, with its associated positivist theory, has dovetailed with broader U.S.-led problem-solving approaches in encouraging the development of several useful legal concepts: sustainable development; international criminal responsibility; transnational civil responsibility; a renewed exclusivity of domestic jurisdiction; and an expanding but precarious concept of a unified international legal system. But the dominant positivist theoretical structure that has held international legal practice together now encounters internal critiques of some of its core concepts such as statism, national interest, and instrumental rationality, as well as external challenges from critical, neo-Marxist, and constructivist perspectives. Its viability is seriously in question, unless it can be deepened and renovated through current efforts to address such issues as legitimacy and democracy in international governance; the roles and approaches of major states such as the U.S.; and the more general functions of normativity in international order. A proposal for rethinking the concept of international law is outlined. It is argued that the Grotian integration of theory and practice is a valuable and distinctive feature of international law, that there are ethical arguments for the predominant positivist positions which this problem-solving engagement with practice has fostered, that problems such as moral injustice and lack of legitimacy now require a richer approach to international law rules and process in an era of deepening international governance, and that a Grotian conception of international law which integrates sources-based and content-based criteria provides a promising way forward.
Emerging Issues in Banking Regulation

The paper provides an overview of the profound and rapid changes in banking brought about by technology and deregulation, and discusses the hurdles that will have to be negotiated for putting in place the three pillars - capital adequacy rules, supervision, and market discipline - of the bank regulatory framework envisioned by the New Basel Accord (Basel II). It argues that, especially for developing countries, finding the right balance between regulation, supervision, and market discipline is likely to be difficult. Considerable technical expertise as well as political discipline - which can be viewed as a fourth pillar - will be required to implement Basel II.