cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Civil Society, Liberalism and the Corporatist Alternative in the Middle East

Democracy has returned to the center stage of American political science. Before World War I, political science assumed the universality of democracy in America. Its educational mission was to inform American citizens of this, its research mission to identify the imperfections of this democracy in order to reform it and to provide academic expertise to strengthen the American state administratively in its democratic mission.’ Post-behavioral political scientists in the 1990s also assume the universality of democracy, now on an international and cross-cultural basis. They also wish to inform the American public of this, and when they uncover it they also wish to reform it through their writings and through the support of indigenous intellectuals and scholars. The incentives, coercion and pressure of the US government assist them in their efforts. They are also engaged in the strengthening of the capabilities of the American state in spreading the democratic message abroad. This collaboration of government and scholar from the 1986 announcement of the Reagan Doctrine and the founding of the National Endowment for Democracy until today has been termed “Operation Democracy.”
Remote Sensing Detection of High Elevation Vegetation Change

A striking change associated with modern human society has been the increase in atmospheric CO2 due to the increased burning of fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, natural gas) since the industrial revolution (Sarmiento and Siegenthaler 1992; Sarmiento and Bender 1994). One potential consequence of this atmospheric change is the so-called “greenhouse effect”, a global climatic warming induced by elevated atmospheric CO2 modifying the atmosphere’s opacity to infra-red radiation. Because CO2 is an essential component of plant photosynthesis, an increase in ambient CO2 levels immediately leads to the question as to whether these changes might be altering plant function globally and might also be changing vegetation patterns.
Preceramic Polymer Routes to Amorphous and Crystalline Aluminosilicate Powders for Electrorheological Applications. I

Electrorheological (ER) fluids prepared using suspensions of amorphous and crystalline aluminosilicates in inert, nonpolar liquids are reported to exhibit good-to-exceptional ER activity.1–3 Unfortunately, the measured ER properties can vary greatly ever for compositionally similar fluids. This variation results, in part, because previous efforts to correlate ER behavior with the properties of well-defined aluminosilicates relied on commercially produced aluminosilicates. The commercial sources rarely provided a range of products (e.g. wide variety of compositions, particle sizes, etc.), or detailed quantification of powder properties (phase and chemical purity, surface area and pore size distribution, etc.). In addition, because the synthetic procedures are typically proprietary, it is not possible to identify important differences in methods of preparation. Hence, a detailed understanding of the exact mechanism(s) of ER activity as a function of individual aluminosilicate properties has been difficult-to-impossible to establish. The objectives of the work reported here are to: (1) develop a detailed and general synthetic approach to aluminosilicate powders; (2) develop protocols for characterizing their spectroscopic and physical properties, and (3) conduct preliminary ER studies to demonstrate the proof-of-principle of our chosen approach.
Sites, Systems, and Agents

This chapter continues the task of enriching the categories and considerations for an ethics of mobility. It insists that determining causality is central to identifying moral responsibility. It urges locating migration within broader trends of often inequitable social transformation. This requires attention to global political economy, as well as to migration systems which bind people and regions together through historical, economic, cultural, and political relationships. It also advocates for more moral scrutiny of corporate actors and for greater attention to internal migration and mobility restrictions within cities.
Directory navigation with robotic assistance

Malls are full of retail store and restaurant chains, allowing customers a vast array of destinations to explore. Often, these sites contain a directory of all stores located within the shopping center, allowing customers a top-down view of their current position, and their desired store location. In this paper, we present a customer centric approach to directory navigation using a service robot, where the robot is able to display the directory, and guide customers to needed destinations.
State-level adoption of national guidelines for norovirus outbreaks in health care settings.

Background Clinical decision support (CDS) systems can help investigators use best practices when responding to outbreaks, but variation in guidelines between jurisdictions can make such systems hard to develop and implement. This study aimed to identify (1) the extent to which state-level guidelines adhere to national recommendations for norovirus outbreak response in health care settings and (2) the impact of variation between states on outbreak outcomes. Methods State guidelines were obtained from Internet searches and direct contact with state public health officials in early 2016. Outcomes from norovirus outbreaks that occurred in 2015 were compared using data from the National Outbreak Reporting System. Results Guidelines were obtained from 41 of 45 (91%) state health departments that responded to queries or had guidelines available on their Web sites. Most state guidelines addressed each of the national recommendations, but specific guidance varied considerably. For example, among 36 states with guidance on numbers of stool specimens to collect, there were 21 different recommendations. Furthermore, having guidelines consistent with national recommendations was associated with fewer outbreaks reported and more outbreaks with confirmed etiology. Conclusions This study identified substantial variation in state health care–associated norovirus outbreak response guidelines, which must be considered when developing related CDS systems. More research is needed to understand why this variation exists, how it impacts outbreak outcomes, and where improvements in evidence-based recommendations and communication of national guidance are needed.
Thyroid Function Testing in Ambulatory Practice

Thyroid function tests are commonly obtained by both primary care physicians and various specialists in ambulatory practice for both the evaluation of symptomatic and screening assessment of asymptomatic thyroid disease. Abnormalities of thyroid function testing, including those which may not be clinically apparent, are common in the general population. Epidemiological studies have identified hypothyroidism (subclinical and overt) in 4.6–9.5% and hyperthyroidism (subclinical and overt) in 1.3–2.2% of individuals [1], while the incidence of mild/subclinical dysfunction in certain populations is much more common [2–4].
The gate-triggered SCR turn-on transient

Soon after the application of the forward bias to the p gate of an SCR in the off-state, the cathode starts emitting electrons in an area in the vicinity of the gate contact. These electrons are collected by the center junction, are swept into the n base, and slightly forward bias the p emitter (the anode junction). Holes begin to flow in the direction of the collecting center junction; when they reach the p base they increase further the electron injection. This process continues until eventually the holding current density J h of the device is exceeded and the device is latched in. The time necessary to reach 10 percent of the final anode current—counted from the beginning of the gate current pulse—is designated as the delay time. The time interval between the 10 and 90 percent of I A is called the rise time t r. Beyond the 0.9 I A point, the current increases usually with much smaller rate: the current spreads laterally from a comparatively small area until the whole cathode area conducts. The full current is reached after some time t s. These three time intervals are evaluated on the basis of the thyristor charge-control model.
Antithrombotic Agent Releasing Polymers

The use of pharmacologically active agents with antithrombotic effects combined with blood contacting polymers provides a novel approach towards the improvement of blood materials interactions. Antithrombotic agents can be physically combined in a polymer solution producing a monolithically dispersed delivery device. This monolithic system contains both dissolved and undissolved active agent and is capable of diffusional release of the active agent at the surface of the polymer. Through proper design, use of this technique provides optimal therapeutic levels of selected antithrombotic agents which can be delivered to a desired site of activity while minimizing unwanted systemic side effects.
CRISPR/Cas9 offers a new tool for studying the role of chromatin architecture in disease pathogenesis

A recent study used CRISPR/Cas9 to reveal long-range looping between disease-related genes and their regulatory elements that is mediated by the CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) in prostate cancer.
Pancreatic source of protease activity in the spontaneously hypertensive rat and its reduction during temporary food restriction.

Author(s): Chan, Amy Hsueh Wen; Schmid-Schonbein, Geert W | Abstract: ObjectiveThe mechanisms underlying cell and organ dysfunctions in hypertension are uncertain. The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) has elevated levels of unchecked degrading proteases compared to the control Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat. The extracellular proteases destroy membrane receptors leading to cell dysfunctions, including arteriolar constriction and elevated blood pressure. Our goal was to identify potential sources of the uncontrolled enzymatic activity.MethodsZymographic and digital immunohistochemical measurements in SHR pancreas and intestine were obtained as part of the digestive system with high levels of degrading enzymes.ObjectiveThe results showed that SHRs have significantly higher protease activity than WKY in pancreas (22.04 ± 9.01 vs 13.02 ± 3.92 casein fluorescence intensity unit; P l 0.05) and pancreatic venules (0.011 ± 0.003 vs 0.005 ± 0.003 trypsin absorbance; P l 0.05) as well as in venous blood (71.07 ± 13.92 vs 36.44 ± 16.59 casein fluorescence intensity unit; P l 0.05). The enzymatic activity is contributed by trypsin and chymotrypsin. Furthermore, a decrease of these enzyme activity levels achieved during a short-term fasting period is associated with a reduction in systolic blood pressurein SHR (135 ± 8 mm Hg vs 124 ± 7 mm Hg; P l 0.05).ConclusionsThe results suggest the pancreas of the SHR is a potential source for serine proteases leaking into the circulation and contributing to its protease activity.
Dialect and Nationalism in China, 1860–1960

Taking aim at the conventional narrative that standard, national languages transform 'peasants' into citizens, Gina Anne Tam centers the history of the Chinese nation and national identity on fangyan - languages like Shanghainese, Cantonese, and dozens of others that are categorically different from the Chinese national language, Mandarin. She traces how, on the one hand, linguists, policy-makers, bureaucrats and workaday educators framed fangyan as non-standard 'variants' of the Chinese language, subsidiary in symbolic importance to standard Mandarin. She simultaneously highlights, on the other hand, the folksong collectors, playwrights, hip-hop artists and popular protestors who argued that fangyan were more authentic and representative of China's national culture and its history. From the late Qing through the height of the Maoist period, these intertwined visions of the Chinese nation - one spoken in one voice, one spoken in many - interacted and shaped one another, and in the process, shaped the basis for national identity itself.
Microwave pasteurization of apple juice: Modeling the inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium at 80-90 °C.

Abstract Although due to their acidity some fruit juices are considered safe, several outbreaks have been reported. For processing fruit juices, microwave heating offers advantages such as shorter come-up time, faster and uniform heating, and energy efficiency. Thus, it could be a beneficial alternative to conventional pasteurization. The objective of this study was to study the inactivation kinetics of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium under microwave pasteurization at temperatures between 80 and 90 °C, i.e., at conditions that are employed in conventional pasteurization. Inoculated juices were treated at different power levels (600 W, 720 W) and treatment times (5s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s). Time-temperature profiles were obtained by fiber-optic sensors in contact with the samples allowing continuous data collection. The log-logistic and Arrhenius equations were used to account for the influence of the temperature history; thus, resulting in two different modeling approaches that were compared in terms of their prediction abilities. Survival kinetics including non-isothermal conditions were described by a non-linear ordinary differential equation that was numerically solved by the Runge-Kutta method (ode45 in MATLAB ®). The lsqcurvefit function (MATLAB®) was employed to estimate the corresponding survival parameters, which were obtained from freshly made apple juice, whereas the prediction ability of these parameters was evaluated on commercial apple juices. Results indicated that inactivation increased with power level, temperature, and treatment time reaching a microbial reduction up to 7 Log10 cycles. The study is relevant to the food industry because it provides a quantitative tool to predict survival characteristics of pathogens at other non-isothermal processing conditions.
Object-Oriented Monitoring of Forest Disturbances with ALOS/PALSAR Time-Series

We present a flexible methodology to identify forest loss in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) L-band ALOS/PALSAR images. Instead of single pixel analysis, we generate spatial segments (i.e., superpixels) based on local image statistics to track homogeneous patches of forest across a time-series of ALOS/PALSAR images. Forest loss detection is performed with Support Vector Machines (SVMs)trained on local radar backscatter features derived within superpixels. This method is applied to time-series of ALOS-1 and ALOS-2 radar images over a boreal forest within the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve in Quebec. We evaluate four spatial arrangements including 1) single pixels, 2) square grid cells, 3) superpixels based on segmentation of the radar images, and 4) superixels derived from ancillary optical imagery (e.g. Landsat). Detection of forest loss with superpixels outperform single pixel and regular grid methods, especially when superpixels are generated from ancillary optical imagery. Results are validated with official Quebec forestry data and Hansen forest loss products. Our results indicate that this approach may be applied operationally to monitor forests across large study areas with L-band radar instruments such as ALOS/PALSAR.
First Report of Endolithic Members of Rhodosorus marinus (Stylonematales, Rhodophyta) Growing Inside Rhodoliths Offshore Louisiana, Northwestern Gulf of Mexico

Endolithic, red unicells residing in the interior of Lithothamnion rhodoliths, collected offshore the NW Gulf of Mexico in mesophotic rhodolith beds at ~54-55 m depth and maintained in closed microcosms, were used to establish cultures following their isolation. These endolithic unicells subsequently developed into amorphous blobs of palmelloid cell colonies. Each cell contains unstacked, 2-5 lobed parietal chloroplasts, one prominent central pyrenoid, and have a thin or thick cell wall. Single cells, or cell clusters (in pairs, tetrads, or up to 12) are embedded inside an extracellular matrix whose boundaries remain closely appressed to neighboring cell clusters. Cell division by concavo-convex division resulted in hemispherical cells subsequently expanding in size. Plastid tufA, psbA and 16S rDNA sequence analyses confirmed that the colonies are Rhodosorus marinus Geitler. This is the first report of a red alga spending part of its life history endolithically inside biogenic rhodoliths.
Snake-Inspired Kirigami Skin for Lateral Undulation of a Soft Snake Robot

Frictional anisotropy, as produced by the directionality of scales in snake skin, is necessary to propel snakes across flat, hard surfaces. This work illustrates the design, fabrication, and testing of a snake-inspired skin based on kirigami techniques that, when attached to a soft snake robot, improves the robot's locomotion capabilities when implementing a lateral undulation gait. Examination of snake scales in nature informed the shape and texture of the synthetic scales, which are activated through the buckling of kirigami lattices. Biological snakes have microornamentation on their scales, which is replicated by scoring ridges into the plastic skin. This microornamentation contributes to the lateral resistance necessary for lateral undulation. The skin's frictional properties were experimentally determined, as were their contributions to the locomotion of the robot across a flat, hard, textured surface. Contributions to locomotion from scale profile geometry, scale microornamentation, and scale angle of attack were identified. The range of longitudinal COF ratios was 1.0 to 3.0 and the range of lateral COF ratios was 0.9 to 3.3. The highest performing skin was the triangular scale profile with microornamentation, producing a velocity of 6 mm/s (0.03 BL/s) which is an increase of 335% over the robot with no skin when activated to maximum achievable curvature.
Plasma Ceramides and Triglycerides Are Elevated during Pregnancy in Association with Markers of Insulin Resistance in Hutterite Women

Changes in maternal insulin sensitivity and circulating lipids typically occur during the metabolic transitions of pregnancy and lactation. Although ceramides can cause insulin resistance in mammals, their potential roles during pregnancy and lactation are unknown. We hypothesized that changes in lipids like ceramide and triglycerides could occur across different reproductive states and relate to insulin resistance. Our objectives were to comprehensively characterize lipids in the plasma of pregnant, lactating, and nonpregnant and nonlactating (NPNL) women, and to evaluate the relationship between ceramides and the triglyceride index, a proxy of insulin resistance. Middle-aged Hutterite women from the South Dakota Rural Bone Health Study were classified by reproductive status as nonpregnant and nonlactating (NPNL; 19 observations), pregnant (14 observations), or lactating (31 observations). Several plasma lipids were elevated in pregnancy such as ceramides, triglycerides, and total- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The triglyceride index was highest during pregnancy and was positively associated with long- and very long-chain ceramides. Lipidomics revealed lipid signatures specific to reproductive state, including triglycerides, phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins, and cholesteryl esters, which were also related to the triglyceride index. Our data support the possibility that ceramides contribute to the development of insulin resistance during pregnancy, and reveal distinct lipid signatures associated with pregnancy and lactation.
SI-traceable molecular transition frequency measurements at the 10 −12 relative uncertainty level

Accurate and spectroscopic measurements of molecular transition frequencies are increasingly being employed in a variety of rigorous tests of physics, including the validity of quantum electrodynamics, the proton–electron mass ratio, and the dipole moment of the electron. Near-infrared molecular transitions may also underpin secondary frequency standards for length metrology and provide convenient wavelength standards for telecommunication and spectroscopy. To report progress in this field, we describe measurements of near-infrared Doppler-broadened carbon dioxide line positions. Our experiment uses cavity ring-down spectroscopy in the linear domain and provides an accurate International System of Units (SI)-traceable frequency axis via active locking of the probe laser and ring-down cavity to a Cs-clock-referenced optical frequency comb. The approach has several key attributes: the ability to rapidly scan the probe laser while maintaining a phase lock to the optical frequency comb, continuously tunable spectrum frequency axes that are not limited by the cavity mode spacing, and high signal-to-noise-ratio spectra resulting in stationary statistics amenable to long-term averaging. This performance is achieved by phase locking a single-mode probe laser to the optical frequency comb, coherent electro-optical phase modulation for rapid cavity mode-to-mode shifting of the probe laser, and sub-kilohertz-level frequency stabilization of the ring-down cavity relative to the probe laser. We report vacuum transition frequencies of five transitions in the (30012)←(00001) vibrational band of 12C16O2 near 1.57 µm and achieve combined standard uncertainties as low as 212 Hz, corresponding to a relative combined standard uncertainty near 10−12.
Talar Osteolytic Lesion as the Initial Presentation of Terminal Primary Metastatic Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this case report is to present an osseous foot lesion as the initial presentation of advanced metastatic adenocarcinoma. A 65-year-old female presented with 5 months of atraumatic left ankle pain. Initial radiographs and computed tomography scan showed a lytic lesion in the talar dome and calcaneus. Further workup and evaluation revealed diffuse metastatic disease in the lung, abdomen, and brain. A biopsy of the talar lesion demonstrated metastatic adenocarcinoma, and the patient elected to transition to hospice care less than 2 months after initial diagnosis. Although exceedingly rare, metastatic disease should be included in the differential for any lesion in the distal extremities including the foot and ankle. Unfortunately, these patients may have widespread metastases and poor prognosis at the time of initial presentation. This case report describes an acrometastasis of a primary adenocarcinoma and highlights the importance of considering metastatic disease in the differential of foot and ankle lesions. Delay in recognition and diagnosis of metastatic disease may have devastating consequences, and physicians could benefit from a high index of suspicion when treating these patients.
Payment for Diagnosis Under Limited Outcome Visibility

Conventional and emerging physician payment schemes specify reimbursements largely based on the physician’s diagnosis. Yet, correctly identifying a diagnosis can be a challenging task even for skilled physicians, and diagnostic errors are not rare. Measuring the precise extent of diagnostic errors is hard because they are only occasionally brought to light. Medical diagnosis thus presents a setting with limited outcome visibility in that a physician’s diagnostic accuracy is partially observable. In this paper, we develop a parsimonious model to analyze the effect of a diagnosis-based payment scheme under limited outcome visibility. Our model captures how a physician’s decision to exert diagnostic effort interacts with the ultimate diagnostic decision and with the welfare of the payer, physician, and patients. We show this type of payment scheme may induce a higher diagnostic effort but bias the diagnosis. We find outcome visibility influences whether it is optimal to pay a flat amount or different amounts depending on the diagnosis. Our results demonstrate better outcome observability supports the use of flat payment schemes. Despite the inefficiency resulting from limited outcome visibility, surprisingly, better outcome visibility does not necessarily lead to better diagnostic accuracy or a lower expected payment to the physician, so it can be detrimental to the payer and to the patients.
Coconut/Cane & Cutlass: Queer Visuality in the Indo-Caribbean Lesbian Archive

Michelle Mohabeer’s groundbreaking Indo-Caribbean queer film, Coconut/Cane & Cutlass (1994) remains one of the earliest works of queer Indo-Caribbean visual art. Mohabeer scripts the lesbian body cinematically through an iconography of indenture: coconut, cane, cutlass. This article returns to Coconut/Cane & Cutlass nearly three decades after its release to examine the radical ways in which Mohabeer’s visual aesthetics posits the canescape as a site of Indo-Caribbean lesbian subjectivity, reconfigures the cutlass from its status of violence to one of desire, and examines the poetics of fragmentation as a queer feminist genealogical approach. In our reading of Coconut/Cane & Cutlass as a visual text of rewriting diasporic subjectivity, Mohabeer produces a radical visual genealogy that narrates diasporic Indo-Caribbean identity through a primary site of queerness, upending historical approaches to gender and sexuality within traditional configurations of the indentured diasporas. La innovadora pelicula indocaribena queer de Michelle Mohabeer, Coconut/Cane & Cutlass (1994), sigue siendo una de las primeras obras de arte visual indocaribeno queer. Mohabeer escribe el cuerpo lesbico cinematicamente a traves de una iconografia de la mano de obra importada no abonada: coco, cana, alfanje. Este articulo regresa a Coconut/Cane & Cutlass casi tres decadas despues de su estreno para examinar las formas radicales en que la estetica visual de Mohabeer plantea el lugar del canaveral como un sitio de subjetividad lesbiana indocaribena, reconfigura el alfanje desde su connotacion de violencia a otra de deseo y examina la poetica de la fragmentacion como un enfoque genealogico feminista queer. En nuestra lectura de Coconut/Cane & Cutlass como un texto visual de la reescritura de la subjetividad diasporica, Mohabeer produce una genealogia visual radical que narra la identidad indocaribena diasporica a traves de un sitio primario de lo queer, trastornando los enfoques historicos al genero y a la sexualidad dentro de las configuraciones tradicionales de las diasporas de la mano de obra importada no abonada.
The Report of the Baruch Committee on Physical Medicine

(1945). The Report of the Baruch Committee on Physical Medicine. The Journal of Health and Physical Education: Vol. 16, No. 7, pp. 367-420.
What is Six and One? An Analysis of Re-priced Stock Options

This paper examines the incentives surrounding re-priced options and the favorable timing of option awards. To avoid expense recognition of re-priced options, some firms set a replacement strike price six months plus one day after the cancellation of existing options. The six-plus-one strategy makes the grant date completely predictable. Abnormal stock returns are negative (positive) during the six-month period prior to the replacement date for grants that include (exclude) officers or directors. Positive abnormal returns occur after the replacement date for firms covered by a smaller number of analysts and for grants that exclude officers and directors. Earnings surprises and volatility reflect efforts to produce the favorable abnormal return pattern.
Genomic Resources for Functional Genomics in Aquaculture Species

Functional genomics studies require the availability of genome resources. In the last decade, huge sets of genome resources have been developed from aquaculture species. In this chapter, we provide a brief summary of what is available with various aquaculture species. Our guiding principle, however, is to provide some basic information such that any reader can follow up to find the required information rather than to provide a complete list of resources for all species. In this chapter, we provide an overview of existing genome resources for functional genomics research including DNA markers, expressed sequence tags (ESTs), microarrays, next generation sequence read archive (SRA) databases, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) geno- typing platforms, databases for aquaculture genome projects, and whole genome sequence assemblies.
Simultaneous tracking and activity recognition (STAR) using many anonymous, binary sensors

In this paper we introduce the simultaneous tracking and activity recognition (STAR) problem, which exploits the synergy between location and activity to provide the information necessary for automatic health monitoring. Automatic health monitoring can potentially help the elderly population live safely and independently in their own homes by providing key information to caregivers. Our goal is to perform accurate tracking and activity recognition for multiple people in a home environment. We use a “bottom-up” approach that primarily uses information gathered by many minimally invasive sensors commonly found in home security systems. We describe a Rao-Blackwellised particle filter for room-level tracking, rudimentary activity recognition (i.e., whether or not an occupant is moving), and data association. We evaluate our approach with experiments in a simulated environment and in a real instrumented home.
Enhanced subsurface sensing with nanoparticles as contrast agents for oil industry

In recent years, the applications of nanotechnology have been extensively researched in many key areas of oil industry, such as exploration, drilling and production. Nanomaterials can be developed as excellent imaging-contrast agents in their magnetic and electric properties. They are able to flush with the injection fluids through the reservoir micro-size pores. Tracing these contrast agents with electromagnetic tomography technology can potentially help tracking the flood-front in waterflood, monitoring enhanced oil recovery process and field characterization.
A case study for quantifying system reliability and uncertainty

Abstract The ability to estimate system reliability with an appropriate measure of associated uncertainty is important for understanding its expected performance over time. Frequently, obtaining full-system data is prohibitively expensive, impractical, or not permissible. Hence, methodology which allows for the combination of different types of data at the component or subsystem levels can allow for improved estimation at the system level. We apply methodologies for aggregating uncertainty from component-level data to estimate system reliability and quantify its overall uncertainty. This paper provides a proof-of-concept that uncertainty quantification methods using Bayesian methodology can be constructed and applied to system reliability problems for a system with both series and parallel structures.
Biochemical recurrence without PSA progression characterizes a subset of patients after radical prostatectomy

Abstract Objectives To characterize a subset of patients with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy but with little, if any, subsequent rise in serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and no clinical progression during long-term follow-up. Methods Of a series of 600 patients, 158 with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy were examined. We identified a subset with measurable serum PSA levels during long-term follow-up, but with very low PSA velocity and no clinical recurrence. Serum PSA was measured with the ultrasensitive TOSOH assay with a PSA recurrence defined as a serum PSA of 0.07 ng/mL or greater. Results We identified 14 patients (8.8% of biochemical recurrences) with a detectable serum PSA level after radical prostatectomy yet without clinical or PSA progression at a mean follow-up after radical prostatectomy of 10.3 years. The mean time to PSA recurrence was 5.8 years, and the mean PSA velocity after recurrence was 0.028 ng/mL/yr. No clinical or pathologic features were found that could be used to identify this subset of patients. Conclusions A subset of patients with biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy will not exhibit a progressive rise in serum PSA or clinical progression at 10 years follow-up. This suggests that serum PSA kinetics should be observed after biochemical recurrence before adjuvant hormonal therapy or radiotherapy.
Does the use of electroencephalographic bispectral index or auditory evoked potential index monitoring facilitate recovery after desflurane anesthesia in the ambulatory setting

BACKGROUND Analogous to the Bispectral Index (BIS) monitor, the auditory evoked potential monitor provides an electroencephalographic-derived index (AAI), which is alleged to correlate with the central nervous system depressant effects of anesthetic drugs. This clinical study was designed to test the hypothesis that intraoperative cerebral monitoring guided by either the BIS or the AAI value would facilitate recovery from general anesthesia compared with standard clinical monitoring practices alone in the ambulatory setting. METHODS Sixty consenting outpatients undergoing gynecologic laparoscopic surgery were randomly assigned to one of three study groups: (1) control (standard practice), (2) BIS guided, or (3) AAI guided. Anesthesia was induced with 1.5-2.5 mg/kg propofol and 1-1.5 microg/kg fentanyl given intravenously. Desflurane, 3%, in combination with 60% nitrous oxide in oxygen was administered for maintenance of general anesthesia. In the control group, the inspired desflurane concentration was varied based on standard clinical signs. In the BIS- and AAI-guided groups, the inspired desflurane concentrations were titrated to maintain BIS and AAI values in targeted ranges of 50-60 and 15-25, respectively. BIS and AAI values, hemodynamic variables, and the end-tidal desflurane concentration were recorded at 5-min intervals during the maintenance period. The emergence times and recovery times to achieve specific clinical endpoints were recorded at 1- to 10-min intervals. The White fast-track and modified Aldrete recovery scores were assessed on arrival in the PACU, and the quality of recovery score was evaluated at the time of discharge home. RESULTS A positive correlation was found between the AAI and BIS values during the maintenance period. The average BIS and AAI values (mean +/- SD) during the maintenance period were significantly lower in the control group (BIS, 41 +/- 10; AAI, 11 +/- 6) compared with the BIS-guided (BIS, 57 +/- 14; AAI, +/- 11) and AAI-guided (BIS, 55 +/- 12; AAI, 20 +/- 10) groups. The end-tidal desflurane concentration was significantly reduced in the BIS-guided (2.7 +/- 0.9%) and AAI-guided (2.6 +/- 0.9%) groups compared with the control group (3.6 +/- 1.5%). The awakening (eye-opening) and discharge times were significantly shorter in the BIS-guided (7 +/- 3 and 132 +/- 39 min, respectively) and AAI-guided (6 +/- 2 and 128 +/- 39 min, respectively) groups compared with the control group (9 +/- 4 and 195 +/- 57 min, respectively). More importantly, the median [range] quality of recovery scores was significantly higher in the BIS-guided (18 [17-18]) and AAI-guided (18 [17-18]) groups when compared with the control group (16 [10-18]). CONCLUSION Compared with standard anesthesia monitoring practice, adjunctive use of auditory evoked potential and BIS monitoring can improve titration of desflurane during general anesthesia, leading to an improved recovery profile after ambulatory surgery.
Interhemispheric subdural electrodes: technique, utility, and safety.

BACKGROUND Invasive monitoring using subdural electrodes is often valuable for characterizing the anatomic source of seizures in intractable epilepsy. Covering the interhemispheric surface with subdural electrodes represents a particular challenge, with a potentially higher risk of complications than covering the dorsolateral cortex. OBJECTIVE To better understand the safety and utility of interhemispheric subdural electrodes (IHSE). METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 24 patients who underwent implantation of IHSE by a single neurosurgeon from 2003 to 2010. Generous midline exposure, meticulous preservation of veins, and sharp microdissection were used to facilitate safe interhemispheric grid placement under direct visualization. RESULTS The number of IHSE contacts implanted ranged from 10 to 106 (mean = 39.8) per patient. Monitoring lasted for 5.5 days on average (range, 2-24 days), with an adequate sample of seizures captured in all patients before explantation, and with a low complication rate similar to that reported for grid implantation of the dorsolateral cortex. One patient (of 24) experienced symptomatic mass effect. No other complications clearly related to grid implantation and monitoring, such as clinically evident neurological deficits, infection, hematoma, or infarction, were noted. Among patients implanted with IHSE, monitoring led to a paramedian cortical resection in 67%, a resection in a region not covered by IHSE in 17%, and explantation without resection in 17%. CONCLUSION When clinical factors suggest the possibility of an epileptic focus at or near the midline, invasive monitoring of the paramedian cortex with interhemispheric grids can be safely used to define the epileptogenic zone and map local cortical function.
β-blockade to prevent perioperative death in non-cardiac surgery: questions, controversy, and not enough answers

The use of perioperative β-blockade in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery are informed, in part, by the Dutch Echocardiographic Cardiac Risk Evaluation Applying Stress Echocardiography (DECREASE) family of studies.1 Allegations of research fraud have discredited the DECREASE studies and diluted the evidence supporting the cardiovascular benefit of perioperative β blockade.2–4 All studies investigated in the DECREASE family were found to be insecure because of flaws ranging from fictitious methods to fabrication of data to no evidence of written informed consent.3 ,4 Current European and American guidelines continue to offer Class I recommendations for continuation of pre-existing β-blockade,5 ,6 and initiation of β-blockade in those patients known to have ischaemic heart disease or myocardial ischaemia according to preoperative testing,5 and those undergoing high-risk (primarily vascular) surgery.5 Recognising the limitations of the flawed DECREASE data, Bouri et al 3 performed a meta-analysis of secure intention-to-treat randomised controlled trial (RCT) data of β-blockade on perioperative mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction, stroke and hypotension in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Studies from the DECREASE family of studies were excluded; the meta-analysis included 10 529 patients from nine secure trials. Initiation of a course of β-blockade before surgery was associated with a significant 27% increase in mortality (relative risk (RR) 1.27, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.60, p=0.04). β-blockade reduced non-fatal myocardial infarction (RR …
Modulation of the substrate binding sites of platelet myosin by actin.

Abstract The studies reported in this paper were undertaken to compare the steady-state kinetics of ATPase of purified platelet actomyosin and myosin free of actin. Actomyosin exhibits highly sigmoid kinetics with at least two interacting ATP or UTP binding sites. These studies were done at O.6 m KCl where actin and myosin are generally supposed to be dissociated in the presence of these nucleotides (M. Gallaghar, T. C. Detwiler, and A. Stracher, 1976, in Cell Motility (Goldman, R., Pollard, T., and Rosenbaum, J., eds.), Vol. 3, Part A, pp. 475–485 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, N. Y.; A. Weber, 1969, J. Gen Physiol. 53 , 781–791) . When the dissociation of platelet actomyosin was actually investigated by a sucrose density gradient technique under conditions which were similar to those of the steady-state kinetic experiments, only partial dissociation of actin from myosin was observed. This was especially true at low nucleotide concentrations where differences in the sigmoidicity of the saturation curves of actomyosin and actin-free myosin have been observed. These findings suggest that in platelet actomyosin, actin enhances the cooperativity of nucleotide binding sites of myosin by reducing the K m for ATP or UTP. In contrast, the saturation curves of platelet myosin using either ATP or UTP as substrates are less sigmoidal and possess an intermediary plateau region, when analyzed by Hill and reciprocal plots, these data indicate both positive and negative cooperativity suggesting more than two substrate binding sites. Platelet myosin also hydrolyzed other nucleotides (the order of rates being ITP > UTP > UTP > ATP > CTP > GTP). The kinetics of ITP differed from that of ATP or UTP in that no plateau region was observed on the saturation curve. In addition, no cooperativity of ITP binding sites was seen at low substrate concentrations (up to 0.2 m m ) but was instead observed at high ITP concentration. It is concluded that conformational changes in myosin induced by ITP may not be necessarily identical to those induced by ATP or UTP.
Investigation of Surface Structures of Supported Vanadium Oxide Catalysts by UV−vis−NIR Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy

UV−vis−NIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) was applied to study the local structures of V(V) cations on various oxide supports (Al2O3, ZrO2 TiO2, Nb2O5, CeO2, and SiO2) under hydrated and dehydrated conditions. The edge energy (Eg) of the LMCT transitions of V(V) cations was used to elucidate the local structures of V(V) cations, and a correlation between the edge energy and the number of the covalent V−O−V bonds (CVB) around the central V(V) cations was established based on some V(V) reference compounds/oxides. For TiO2, Nb2O5, and CeO2 supported vanadia catalysts, the strong support absorption in the same region as the V(V) cations prevents a reliable determination of the local structure of the surface vanadium oxide species by either the LMCT band position or the edge energy. For Al2O3, ZrO2, and SiO2 supported vanadia catalysts, the average CVB number derived from the edge energy allows the assignment of the possible structure of the surface vanadium oxide species, which is a strong function of...
The swing voter's curse with adversarial preferences

Abstract We analyze voting behavior in a large electorate in which voters have adversarial state-contingent preferences with incomplete information about the state of the world. We show that one type of voter can suffer from the swing voter's curse a la Feddersen and Pesendorfer [The swing voter's curse, Amer. Econ. Rev. 86 (1996) 408–424], and go on to characterize the symmetric Nash equilibria of this model under different parameter values. We prove that unlike settings with nonadversarial preferences, there are equilibria in which in one state of the world, a minority-preferred candidate almost surely wins the election and thus the election may fail to correctly aggregate information. Indeed, we show that the fraction of the electorate dissatisfied with the result can be as large as 66 2 3 % .
A Parallel Proposition Bank II for Chinese and English

The Proposition Bank (PropBank) project is aimed at creating a corpus of text annotated with information about semantic propositions. The second phase of the project, PropBank II adds additional levels of semantic annotation which include eventuality variables, co-reference, coarse-grained sense tags, and discourse connectives. This paper presents the results of the parallel PropBank II project, which adds these richer layers of semantic annotation to the first 100K of the Chinese Treebank and its English translation. Our preliminary analysis supports the hypothesis that this additional annotation reconciles many of the surface differences between the two languages.
Computer Simulation of Sputtering from Two Component Liquid Metal Targets

The sputtering of In and Ga atoms from a “liquid” target composedof gallium coveredby a surface monolayer of indium by incident 5 keV Ar+ ions was simulated using the multiple interaction molecular dynamics technique. Yields, energy distributions, and angular distributions of sputtered atoms were obtained at a temperature above the melting point for the eutectic alloy. Similar information was obtained for a pure gallium and a pure indium target. Our results for layer yield ratios and angular distributions are in good qualitative agreement with Dumke's experimental data for the Ar+, In-Ga system. Absolute yields, however, were found to be sensitive to the detailed nature of the two-body potentials used to describe the atom-atom interactions.
Building an engaged workforce at Cleveland Clinic

Correspondence: Joseph M Patrnchak Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, NA #4, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA Tel +1 216 444 1917 Fax +1 216 444 0088 Email patrncj@ccf.org Abstract: Employee engagement is widely recognized as a critical factor in organizational performance. This article examines an ongoing cultural development initiative at Cleveland Clinic designed to significantly increase employee engagement. Key components of this initiative include the introduction of serving leadership, new caregiver wellness and recognition programs, “Cleveland Clinic Experience” training focused on the institution’s core mission, and changes in the institutional vocabulary. Since 2008, the results include a dramatic improvement in engagement, as measured by the Gallup Q survey, with parallel improvements in patient satisfaction, as measured by the clinic’s scores on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. In addition to a discussion of the key components of the clinic’s engagement initiative, the article provides a partial review of the literature focused on employee engagement as well as a summary of “lessons learned” that may serve as a guide for others facing the challenge of increasing employee engagement in large, mature health care institutions.
Hydroplasticization of Polymers: Model Predictions and Application to Emulsion Polymers

The plasticization of a polymer by solvent has a dramatic impact on both its thermal and mechanical behavior. With increasing demand for zero volatile organic compound materials and coatings, water is often the sole solvent used both in the polymer synthesis and in formulation and application; latex colloids derived from emulsion polymerization are a good example. The impact of water on the glass transition temperature of a polymer thus becomes a critical physical property to predict. It has been shown here that in order to do so, one simply needs the dry state glass transition temperature (T(g)) of the (co)polymer, the T(g) of water, and the saturated weight fraction of water for the sample in question. Facile calculation of the later can be achieved using water sorption data and the group additivity method. With these readily available data, we show that a form of the Flory-Fox equation can be used to predict the hydroplasticized state of copolymers in exceptional agreement with direct experimental measurement. Furthermore, extending the prediction to include the impact of the degree of ionization for pH responsive components, only with extra knowledge of the pK(a), was also validated by experiment.