cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High Mobility Materials and Novel Device Structures for High Performance Nanoscale MOSFETs

Channel materials with high mobility will be needed for future nodes to meet the ITRS requirements of MOSFETs. In this work we assess the performance of Si, Ge, and III-V materials like GaAs, InAs and InSb which may perform better than even very highly strained-Si.
Cost and profit driven cloud-P2P interaction

I consider two scenarios of prospective P2P-Cloud interaction. In the first one, client peers are interested in sharing video content with the help of the cloud. Due to a limited monetary budget, only a small fraction of the clients can have the content delivered directly via the cloud servers. The rest need to engage in a mesh-pull P2P broadcast to exchange the content among them. I propose a novel algorithm for constructing an equicentric distribution overlay, where peer neighborhoods exhibit homogenous latencies relative to the cloud. I demonstrate that the resulting topology exhibits the small-world property, and leads to increased data sharing and reduced play-out latency of the content among the peers. The clients are further equipped with a novel utility-driven packet scheduling strategy, where the packet’s utility is driven by its importance for the video reconstruction quality at the destination client and its rarity within the respective peer neighborhood. My simulation results show that the proposed protocols enhance the performance of a reference P2P broadcast system. Significant improvement in terms of average video quality is demonstrated over conventional solutions due to the proposed packet scheduling. The mesh construction strategy enables additional benefits in terms of frame-freeze frequency and play-out latency reduction, relative to the common approach of random peer selection. These lead to corresponding gains in video quality due to the improved continuity of the playback experience. The second scenario I investigate considers hybrid P2P-Cloud operation where the clients can lease computing resources to the cloud in exchange forprofit. I design cooperative and noncooperative strategies that the cloud and the clients can follow in order to maximize their respective objective functions, independently or jointly.
Barbed compared with standard suture: effects on cellular composition and proliferation of the healing wound in the ovine uterus.

Objective. To compare cellular composition (fibroblasts vs. smooth muscle cells) and proliferation in uterine healing wounds after application of barbed compared with standard suture in a sheep model. Design. Randomized trial (Canadian Task Force classification I) using each animal as its own control. Setting. Certified animal research facility. Population or sample. 23 non-pregnant ewes. Methods. A myometrial incision was created with the harmonic scalpel in each horn of the bicornuate uterus. The incisions were randomly allocated to be closed using either polyglactin 210 (Vicryl®) or barbed suture. Three months later, uterine tissues were collected, fixed and used for determination of cellular composition and proliferation using histochemistry (Masson trichrome staining) and immunohistochemistry (staining of smooth muscle cell actin and Ki67, a marker of proliferating cells) followed by image analysis. Main outcome measures. Evaluation and comparison of the cellular composition and proliferation of uterine wounds after application of barbed vs. standard suture. Results. The ratio between connective tissue elements and smooth muscle cells, expression of smooth muscle cell actin and labeling index were similar in wounds after application of barbed compared with standard suture, but were different (p < 0.0001–0.05) in wounds than in non-wounded areas in uterus. Conclusion. Both barbed and standard sutures had similar effects on cellular composition and proliferation of uterine wounds in an animal model.
Grade Retention: Elementary Teacher's Perceptions for Students With and Without Disabilities

Academic accountability is of great concern, therefore grade retention is being considered for both students with and without disabilities who are not meeting end-of-the-year achievement benchmarks. The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher attitudes toward grade retention and whether practices differ when recommending retention of students with or without disabilities. This mixed-methods study utilized a paper-and-pencil questionnaire using a Likert-type scale, as well as two open-ended questions and a checklist. Teacher interviews were also conducted. The findings of this study indicate that teachers are considering a multitude of factors when considering grade retention for their struggling students. Academic performance was the factor that teachers (77%) indicated the most frequently. Although teachers felt pressure and accountability from high stakes testing, they felt test results should be one of many factors considered in the retention decision.
Quantifying root lateral distribution and turnover using pine trees with a distinct stable carbon isotope signature

Summary 1. In order to help assess spatial competition for below-ground resources, we quantified the effects of fertilization on root biomass quantity and lateral root distribution of midrotation Pinus taeda trees. Open-top chambers exposed trees to ambient or ambient plus 200 µ mol mol − 1 atmospheric CO 2 for 31 months. 2. Tank CO 2 was depleted in atmospheric 13 C; foliage of elevated CO 2 trees had δ 13 C of − 42·9‰, compared with − 29·1‰ for ambient CO 2 trees. 3. Roots 1 m from the base of elevated CO 2 -grown trees had more negative δ 13 C relative to control trees, and this difference was detected, on average, up to 5·8, 3·7 and 3·7 m away from the trees for 0 ‐2, 2‐5 and >5 mm root-size classes, respectively. Non-fertilized tree roots extended as far as fertilized trees despite the fact that their above-ground biomass was less than half that of fertilized trees. 4. These results are informative with respect to root sampling intensity and protocol, and the distances required between experimental manipulations to evaluate belowground processes of independent treatments. 5. Fine-root turnover has usually been estimated to range from weeks to 3 years, representing a major avenue of carbon flux. Using a mixing model we calculated that 0‐2 mm roots had a mean residence time of 4·5 years indicating relatively slow fineroot turnover, a result that has major implications in modelling C cycling.
Expression of heat shock protein 27 in adult human third molar dental pulp

This study is the first to define the expression of hsp 27 in the pulp of the adult human third molar. Using a monoclonal antibody against human hsp 27, immunoreactivity was demonstrated in the odontoblasts, odontoblast processes, pulp fibroblasts, and smooth muscle and endothelial cells of vessel walls. Nerves were negative. Pulp fibroblasts were characterized by cytoplasmic staining and variable nuclear staining. Odontoblasts also displayed consistent cytoplasmic staining and variable nuclear staining. Western, Northern, and RT-PCR analysis confirmed the expression of hsp 27 mRNA and protein. Hsp 27 was also shown to be present in both the unphosphorylated and phosphorylated isoforms. In general, nuclear localization and phosphorylation of hsp 27 has been correlated with cells responding to stress or other stimuli. This study demonstrates that pulp from a single human third molar provides sufficient material to support a detailed molecular analysis of gene expression.
Optimization of generalized dielectric nanostructures for enhanced light trapping in thin-film photovoltaics via boosting the local density of optical states

Recent work has shown that using a high-index cladding atop a lower-index photovoltaic absorber enables absorption of light beyond the ergodic (4n2) limit. In this paper, we propose a generalized optimization method for deriving optimal geometries that allow for such enhancement. Specifically, we adapted the direct-binary-search algorithm to optimize a complex 2-D multi-layer structure with the explicit goal of increasing photocurrent. We show that such an optimization results in enhancing the local density of optical states in an ultra-thin absorber, which forms a slot-waveguide geometry in the presence of a higher-index overcladding. Numerical simulations confirmed optical absorption approaching 100% and absorption-enhancement beyond the ergodic (4n2) limit for specific spectral bands of interest. Our method provides a direct, intuitive and computationally scalable approach for designing light-trapping nanostructures.
Differential Protection from Tobramycin by Extracellular Polymeric Substances from Acinetobacter baumannii and Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms

We investigated biofilms of two pathogens, Acinetobacter baumannii and Staphylococcus aureus, to characterize mechanisms by which the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) found in biofilms can protect bacteria against tobramycin exposure. To do so, it is critical to study EPS-antibiotic interactions in a homogeneous environment without mass transfer limitations. Consequently, we developed a method to grow biofilms, harvest EPS, and then augment planktonic cultures with isolated EPS and tobramycin. We demonstrated that planktonic cultures respond differently to being treated with different types of EPS (A. baumannii versus S. aureus) in the presence of tobramycin. By harvesting EPS from the biofilms, we found that A. baumannii EPS acts as a "universal protector" by inhibiting tobramycin activity against bacterial cells regardless of species; S. aureus EPS did not show any protective ability in cell cultures. Adding Mg(2+) or Ca(2+) reduced the protective effect of A. baumannii EPS. Finally, when we selectively digested the proteins or DNA of the EPS, we found that the protective ability did not change, suggesting that neither has a significant role in protection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that demonstrates how EPS protects pathogens against antibiotics in a homogeneous system without mass transfer limitations. Our results suggest that EPS protects biofilm communities, in part, by adsorbing antibiotics near the surface. This may limit antibiotic diffusion to the bottom of the biofilms but is not likely to be the only mechanism of protection.
Privacy in the Age of Google and Facebook

Google and Facebook look to be at best naive, and at worst inept, when it comes to managing data privacy.Privacy is a key protection for intellectual, polit ical, and religious freedom, as well as the dignity of the individual. We cannot underestimate the power of the online revolution unleashed by Google and Facebook, but we can not ignore the inherent vulnerabili ties their size brings to digital social databases.
Autoreactivity to Glucose Regulated Protein 78 Links Emphysema and Osteoporosis in Smokers

Rationale: Emphysema and osteoporosis are epidemiologically associated diseases of cigarette smokers. The causal mechanism(s) linking these illnesses is unknown. We hypothesized autoimmune responses may be involved in both disorders. Objectives: To discover an antigen-specific autoimmune response associated with both emphysema and osteoporosis among smokers. Methods: Replicate nonbiased discovery assays indicated that autoimmunity to glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78), an endoplasmic reticulum chaperone and cell surface signaling receptor, is present in many smokers. Subject assessments included spirometry, chest CT scans, dual x-ray absorptiometry, and immunoblots for anti-GRP78 IgG. Anti-GRP78 autoantibodies were isolated from patient plasma by affinity chromatography, leukocyte functions assessed by flow cytometry, and soluble metabolites and mediators measured by immunoassays. Measurements and Main Results: Circulating anti-GRP78 IgG autoantibodies were detected in plasma specimens from 86 (32%) of the 265 smoking subjects. Anti-GRP78 autoantibodies were singularly prevalent among subjects with radiographic emphysema (OR 3.1, 95%CI 1.7–5.7, p=0.003). Anti-GRP78 autoantibodies were also associated with osteoporosis (OR 4.7, 95%CI 1.7–13.3, p=0.002), and increased circulating bone metabolites (p=0.006). Among emphysematous subjects, GRP78 protein was an autoantigen of CD4 T-cells, stimulating lymphocyte proliferation (p=0.0002) and IFN-gamma production (p=0.03). Patient-derived anti-GRP78 autoantibodies had avidities for osteoclasts and macrophages, and increased macrophage NFkB phosphorylation (p=0.005) and productions of IL-8, CCL-2, and MMP9 (p=0.005, 0.007, 0.03, respectively). Conclusions: Humoral and cellular GRP78 autoimmune responses in smokers have numerous biologically-relevant proinflammatory and other deleterious actions, and are associated with emphysema and osteoporosis. These findings may have relevance for the pathogenesis of smoking-associated diseases, and development of biomarker immunoassays and/or novel treatments for these disorders.
QoS provisioning in clusters: an investigation of Router and NIC design

Design of high performance cluster networks (routers) with Quality-of-Service (QoS) guarantees is becoming increasingly important to support a variety of multimedia applications, many of which have real-time constraints. Most commercial routers, which are based on the wormhole-switching paradigm, can deliver high performance, but lack QoS provisioning. In this paper, we present a pipelined wormhole router architecture that can provide high and predictable performance for integrated traffic in clusters. We consider two different implementations—a non-preemptive model and a more aggressive preemptive model. We also present the design of a network interface card (NIC) based on the Virtual Interface Architecture (VIA) design paradigm to support QoS in the NIC. The QoS capable router and NIC designs are evaluated with a mixed workload consisting of best-effort traffic, multimedia streams, and control traffic.Simulation results of an 8-port router and a (2 × 2) mesh network indicate that the preemptive router can provide better performance than the non-preemptive router for dynamically changing workloads. Co-evaluation of the QoS-aware NIC with the proposed router models shows significant performance improvement compared to that with a traditional NIC without any QoS support.
Quantification of Trace Volatile Sulfur Compounds in Milk by Solid-Phase Microextraction and Gas Chromatography–Pulsed Flame Photometric Detection

Volatile sulfur compounds have been reported to be responsible for the sulfurous off-flavors generated during the thermal processing of milk; however, their analysis has been a challenge due to their high reactivity, high volatility, and low sensory threshold. In this study, reactive thiols were stabilized and the volatile sulfur compounds in milk were extracted by headspace solid-phase microextraction, and analyzed by gas chromatography and pulsed-flame photometric detection. Calibration curves for 7 sulfur-containing compounds were constructed in milk by the standard addition technique. Raw, pasteurized, and UHT milk samples with various fat contents were analyzed. Compared with raw and pasteurized samples, UHT milk contained substantially higher concentrations of hydrogen sulfide, methanethiol, carbon disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, and di-methyl sulfoxide. The high odor activity values calculated for methanethiol and dimethyl trisulfide suggested that these 2 compounds, in addition to di-methyl sulfide reported in a previous study, could be the most important contributors to the sulfurous note in UHT milk.
GENII Version 2 Users’ Guide

The GENII Version 2 computer code was developed for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to incorporate the internal dosimetry models recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the radiological risk estimating procedures of Federal Guidance Report 13 into updated versions of existing environmental pathway analysis models. The resulting environmental dosimetry computer codes are compiled in the GENII Environmental Dosimetry System. The GENII system was developed to provide a state-of-the-art, technically peer-reviewed, documented set of programs for calculating radiation dose and risk from radionuclides released to the environment. The codes were designed with the flexibility to accommodate input parameters for a wide variety of generic sites. Operation of a new version of the codes, GENII Version 2, is described in this report. Two versions of the GENII Version 2 code system are available, a full-featured version and a version specifically designed for demonstrating compliance with the dose limits specified in 40 CFR 61.93(a), the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS) for radionuclides. The only differences lie in the limitation of the capabilities of the user to change specific parameters in the NESHAPS version. This report describes the data entry, accomplished more » via interactive, menu-driven user interfaces. Default exposure and consumption parameters are provided for both the average (population) and maximum individual; however, these may be modified by the user. Source term information may be entered as radionuclide release quantities for transport scenarios, or as basic radionuclide concentrations in environmental media (air, water, soil). For input of basic or derived concentrations, decay of parent radionuclides and ingrowth of radioactive decay products prior to the start of the exposure scenario may be considered. A single code run can accommodate unlimited numbers of radionuclides including the source term and any radionuclides that accumulate from decay of the parent, because the system works sequentially on individual decay chains. The code package also provides interfaces, through the Framework for Risk Analysis in Multimedia Environmental Systems (FRAMES), for external calculations of atmospheric dispersion, geohydrology, biotic transport, and surface water transport. « less
Prospects for New Hormonal Male Contraceptives

Overpopulation is a paramount global crisis, as it underlies virtually all major worldwide problems, including poverty, malnutrition, and warfare. It is imperative that proliferation be curbed by expediting reductions in fertility. This article discusses the demand for and acceptability of male contraceptives and the process of spermatogenesis. Endocrine control of spermatogenesis, and potential sites for disruption of male fertility, including steroid combinations and GnRH agonists and antagonists are reviewed also. Risks and benefits of these approaches are considered.
Aromatic hydrocarbon receptor polymorphism: development of new methods to correlate genotype with phenotype.

Differential CYP1A1 inducibility, reflecting variations in aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) affinity among inbred mouse strains, is an important determinant of environmental toxicity. We took ad...
Relationship of eosinophils and plasma cells to biofilm in chronic rhinosinusitis.

BackgroundThis study investigates the relationship of eosinophils and plasma cells to biofilm in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). A prospective observational study was performed at the Keck Hospital, ...
p53-independent induction of GADD45 andGADD153 in mouse lungs exposed to hyperoxia

Previous studies have shown that lungs of adult mice exposed to >95% oxygen have increased terminal deoxyribonucleotidyltransferase dUTP nick end-label staining and accumulate p53, the expression o...
Analysis and Discussion of SF_6 Decomposition Product Detection

This paper generalizes the detection analysis of SF6 decomposition products,and discusses the influencing factors in comparing,calibrating and measuring the detected devices.The attention value of the decomposition product content for identifying equipment fault is also analyzed.
Research progress of ground water treatment technology of nano-scale zero valent iron

The synthesis and characterization of nano-scale zero valent iron and transformation of contaminant in anaerobic aquatic environment are summarized.Analysis of the characteristics and mechanisms of chloric organic compound and heavy metal ion reduced by nano-scale zero valent iron are focused.The problem need to solve and research area need to study about nano scale zero-valent iron technology are proposed.
Aid to Accurate Clinical Staging—Histopathologic Grading in Prostatic Cancer

Recently, pathologic staging systems have been used to aid in accurate clinical assignment of prostatic disease. With this in mind, we reviewed retrospectively 130 patients who were diagnosed as having prostatic cancer either by needle biopsy or by study of transurethral resection chips. These specimens were graded by the Gleason and Roswell Park histopathologic grading systems. Grading was done by 2 pathologists independently and without knowledge of the results of final surgical staging. All patients were without evidence of metastases by standard diagnostic studies, and all underwent pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical prostatectomy if nodes were grossly negative. The surgical specimens were examined and the final clinical stage was correlated with the histopathologic grading. Independently, the Gleason rather than the Roswell Park system was slightly more accurate and was a more reliable predictor of the surgical stage of the disease. Of the patients with a Gleason sum of 7 or above 86 per cent had at least stage C disease, whereas the disease had been staged preoperatively as A or B. All patients with a Gleason sum of 2 to 5 had stage A or B disease.
Trigger Selection Strategies to Stabilize Program Verifiers

SMT-based program verifiers often suffer from the so-called butterfly effect, in which minor modifications to the program source cause significant instabilities in verification times, which in turn may lead to spurious verification failures and a degraded user experience. This paper identifies matching loops (ill-behaved quantifiers causing an SMT solver to repeatedly instantiate a small set of quantified formulas) as a significant contributor to these instabilities, and describes some techniques to detect and prevent them. At their core, the contributed techniques move the trigger selection logic away from the SMT solver and into the high-level verifier: this move allows authors of verifiers to annotate, rewrite, and analyze user-written quantifiers to improve the solver’s performance, using information that is easily available at the source level but would be hard to extract from the heavily encoded terms that the solver works with. The paper demonstrates three core techniques (quantifier splitting, trigger sharing, and matching loop detection) by extending the Dafny verifier with its own trigger selection routine, and demonstrates significant predictability and performance gains on both Dafny’s test suite and large verification efforts using Dafny.
Adult-onset dystonia with marfanoid features

A 43-year-old Asian American man with asthma and hypertension was referred to the movement disorder center with a 5-year history of gradually progressive action-induced ankle inversion followed by trunk tightness and painful neck twisting with right shoulder elevation. He was born in the United States and successfully graduated college as a B/C student with mild learning difficulties. He always had disproportionally long limbs and digits and at age 12 developed ectopia lentis (medial-inferior displacement). Numerous ocular surgeries were performed including intraocular lens exchange with iris fixation. Marfan syndrome was previously diagnosed based on physical findings. There was no family history of Marfan syndrome, marfanoid features, or early death due to aortic dissection. FBN1 mutations were not tested and serial echocardiograms demonstrated no aortic root dilation. Diagnosis was later refined to ectopia lentis syndrome per updated guidelines. At age 29, he required allograft repair of an anterior cruciate ligament following minor impact. Four years later, while walking, he had musculoskeletal trauma in the left foot with subsequent toe extension weakness. Nerve conduction studies confirmed absence of compound motor action potentials in the left peroneal nerve lateral terminal branch. At age 38, he developed left foot pain with tendency for dorsiflexion and ankle inversion when walking. Severity gradually progressed and tightness extended to the trunk within 2 years. At age 41, he developed elevation of the right shoulder and several weeks later rightward rotation of the neck and back. Dystonia gradually progressed. Symptoms were exacerbated by stress but not relieved by alcohol or muscle relaxers.
Desorption kinetics of ciprofloxacin in municipal biosolids determined by diffusion gradient in thin films.

Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is a commonly-prescribed antibiotic that is largely excreted by the body, and is often found at elevated concentrations in treated sewage sludge (biosolids) at municipal wastewater treatment plants. When biosolids are applied to soils, they could release CIP to surface runoff, which could adversely affect growth of aquatic organisms that inhabit receiving water bodies. The hazard risk largely depends on the amount of antibiotic in the solid phase that can be released to solution (labile CIP), its diffusion coefficient, and sorption/desorption exchange rates in biosolids particles. In this study, these processes were evaluated in a Class A Exceptional Quality Biosolids using a diffusion gradient in thin films (DGT) sampler that continuously removed CIP from solution, which induced desorption and diffusion in biosolids. Mass accumulation of antibiotic in the sampler over time was fit by a diffusion transport and exchange model available in the software tool 2D-DIFS to derive the distribution coefficient of labile CIP (Kdl) and sorption/desorption rate constants in the biosolids. The Kdl was 13 mL g−1, which equated to 16% of total CIP in the labile pool. Although the proportion of labile CIP was considerable, release rates to solution were constrained by slow desorption kinetics (desorption rate constant = 4 × 10−6 s−1) and diffusion rate (effective diffusion coefficient = 6 × 10−9 cm2 s−1. Studies are needed to investigate how changes in temperature, water content, pH and other physical and chemical characteristics can influence antibiotic release kinetics and availability and mobility in biosolid-amended soils.
Differential Expression of Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) Protein in Low and High Grade B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas and Differential Regulation of EZH2 Expression By p-ERK and MYC in High Grade B Cell Lymphomas

Background: EZH2, amember of the polycomb protein group, is an important methyltransferase that is over-expressed in various carcinomas, some B and T cell lymphomas, as well as myeloid disorders. We investigated EZH2 expression in the range of low and high grade B cell neoplasms and correlated its expression with that of p-ERK, MYC, and p-STAT3, potential regulators of EZH2 expression, in high grade B cell lymphomas. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining (IHC) for EZH2 was performed on a total of 162 low and high grade B cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, using formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue [Table 1]. We subsequently performed IHC for p-ERK, p-STAT3, and MYC on high grade B cell lymphomas. Cases were scored for percentage positivity of neoplastic cells using the above antibodies. Results: In low grade lymphomas, 5-40% of neoplastic cells were positive for EZH2, with variable intensity of staining. Of note, there was a significant difference in EZH2 expression in hairy cell leukemia versus hairy cell leukemia-variant (p Conclusion: EZH2 expression correlates with tumor grade in B cell neoplasms, and the high level of EZH2 expression in high grade B cell lymphomas suggests that this molecule may function as an oncogenic protein in these neoplasms. Furthermore, our findings show there are different signaling cascades in the regulation of EZH2 expression in different types of high grade B cell lymphomas. The p-ERK signaling cascade, but not MYC expression, plays an important role in high EZH2 expression in DLBCL; while in BL and DHL, high MYC expression, but not p-ERK expression, is associated with increased EZH2 expression, possibly through miRNA regulation. These findings suggested that EZH2 and specific disease-related signaling cascades may serve as therapeutic targets for the treatment of high grade B cell lymphomas. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Lossless Shape Representation using Invariant Statistics: the Case of Point-sets

Boutin and Kemper have shown that the set of unlabeled pairwise distances between the points of a generic point-set in Rnmiddot is a lossless representation of the shape of the point-set. In this paper, we extend this result to the case where each of the points observed is drawn from a similar spherical Gaussian distribution in R2. More precisely, we consider the distribution of the (squared) distance between two points independently drawn from a mixture of spherical Gaussians, each Gaussian having the same variance sigma2. We then show that two generic such mixtures of spherical Gaussians have the same shape (i.e., they are related by a rigid motion) if and only if their distribution of distances are the same.
Representations for the optimal feedback control law for stable hereditary systems

Presentation de 2 nouveaux theoremes pour la representation des systemes hereditaires sans retard de commande
Effects of Two Listening Strategies for Melodic Dictation.

The purpose of this research was to examine effects of two listening strategies on melodic dictation scores. Fifty-four undergraduate music majors completed short tonal melodic dictations in a with...
The feasibility of using ultrasound during follow-up for superficial non-melanoma skin cancers after electronic brachytherapy.

Purpose Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) can be treated with a number of modalities including surgery, topical chemotherapy, or radiotherapy. Amongst the radiotherapeutic options, electronic brachytherapy (eBT) is an appealing treatment as it is usually given in a few fractions, it leads to good outcomes, and is increasingly being used. However, currently no follow-up imaging is routinely used or recommended to evaluate treatment response of NMSC. We aimed to use ultrasound (US) in follow-up after eBT for superficial NMSC to assess its feasibility in detecting possible tumor response. Material and methods Fourteen patients were treated between 2013-2015 for a NMSC using eBT. US guidance was used for treatment planning prior to eBT initiation. After completion of eBT, patients were seen in follow-up for both clinical exam and a repeat US at 1 month to evaluate if tumor response was detectable. Results Of the 14 patients, 6 were male and 8 were female. The mean age was 71 years. With a median follow-up of 20.5 months, all patients had a complete response based on physical exam. Eleven patients appeared to have a complete response based on US obtained > 1 month after completing eBT. To date, there have been no local recurrences or progression, and all patients are alive. Conclusions US is an objective imaging modality that may be able to assess NMSC response after eBT. Based on follow-up imaging, further treatment or observation may be recommended. Although this study is hypothesis generating, larger studies with pathologic confirmation of recurrences would be needed to validate US use for follow-up, avoiding possible painful and scarring biopsies in case of low suspicion of recurrence.
Design and Development of Surgeon Augmented Endovascular Robotic System

Objective : Inadequate visual and force feedback while navigating surgical tools elevate the risk of endovascular procedures. It also poses occupational hazard due to repeated exposure to X-rays. A teleoperated robotic system that augments surgeon's actions is a solution. Method : We have designed and developed an endovascular robotic system that augments surgeon's actions using conventional surgical tools, as well as generates feedback in order to ensure safety during the procedure. The reaction force from vasculature is estimated from motor current that drives the surgical tool. Calibration required for force estimation is based on bilevel optimization. Input shaping is used in conjunction with a cascaded controller to avoid large responses due to faster inputs and to track tool position. The design, realization, and testing of our system are presented. Results : The responses of the system in comparison with the dynamics model is similar vis-a-vis the same input commands. Any error in the position tracking is reduced by the cascaded controller. Phase-portrait analysis of the system showed that the system is stable. The reaction force estimation is validated against load cell measurements. The safety mechanism in the events of excessive reaction forces while interacting with vasculature is demonstrated. Conclusion and Significance : Our system is a step toward intelligent robots that can assist surgeons during endovascular procedures by monitoring and alerting the surgeons regarding detrimental parameters. It arrests any unintended excursions of the surgical tools or surgeon's actions. This will also eliminate the need for surgeons to be in radiation environment.
Seeking solutions for cross-border problems: intuitive functionalists and support for the European Union

Most of the established predictors of individual-level support for the European Union (EU) concern externalities of the integration process, such as economic performance at the national level and the EU’s effect on national identity, rather than any of the original motives behind the creation of the European project. In contrast, many of the elite-driven theories explaining European integration focus on what European countries actually gain from being members of the EU. This paper serves to connect these two bodies of scholarship, arguing that there is a functionalist dimension to support for European integration. Some individuals may perceive the EU as important for addressing certain cross-border problems (such as combatting pollution or organized crime) that cannot be resolved by any state acting in isolation. To test this possibility, the paper relies on survey data from Eurobarometer 72.4, conducted in the fall of 2009. The results suggest that, in addition to the established predictors, the perception that the EU fulfills essential noneconomic functions also drives EU support.
Mental Health Diagnoses, Symptoms, and Service Utilization in US Youth with Perinatal HIV Infection or HIV Exposure.

Abstract Youth perinatally HIV infected (PHIV) or HIV exposed, but uninfected (PHEU), are aging into adolescence and adulthood with multiple complex risk factors for mental health (MH) problems and...
At the Intersection of Law, Human Rights, and Religion

Global Health Disputes and Disparities explores inequalities in health around the world, looking particularly at the opportunity for, and limitations of, international law to promote population health by examining its intersection with human rights, trade, and epidemiology, and the controversial issues of legal process, religion, access to care, and the social context of illness.
One-Pot Synthesis of a Linear [4]Catenate Using Orthogonal Metal Templation and Ring-Closing Metathesis

The efficient synthesis of well-defined, linear oligocatenanes possessing multiple mechanical bonds remains a formidable challenge in the field of mechanically interlocked molecules. Here, a one-po...
Emergency medical services protocols for traumatic brain injury in the United States: A call for standardization.

Abstract Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) with acute elevation in intracranial pressure (ICP) is a neurologic emergency associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In addition to indicated trauma resuscitation, emergency department (ED) management includes empiric administration of hyperosmolar agents, rapid diagnostic imaging, anticoagulation reversal, and early neurosurgical consultation. Despite optimization of in-hospital care, patient outcomes may be worsened by variation in prehospital management. In this study, we evaluate geographic variation between emergency medical services (EMS) protocols for patients with suspected TBI. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of statewide EMS protocols in the United States in December 2020 and included all complete protocols published on government websites. Outcome measures were defined to include protocols or orders for the following interventions, given TBI: (1) hyperventilation and end-tidal capnography (EtCO2) goals, (2) administration of hyperosmolar agents, (3) tranexamic acid (TXA) administration for isolated head injury, (4) non-invasive management including head-of-bed elevation, and (5) hemodynamic goals. Results We identified 32 statewide protocols including Washington, D.C., 4 of which did not include specific guidance for TBI. Of 28 states providing ventilatory guidance, 22/28 (78.6%) recommend hyperventilation, with 17/22 (77.3%) restricting hyperventilation to signs of acute herniation. The remaining 6 states prohibited hyperventilation. Regarding EtCO2 goals among states permitting hyperventilation, 17/22 (77.3%) targeted an EtCO2 of ≤ 12. Only 15/32 (46.9%) identified states recommend head-of-bed elevation. For blood pressure goals, 12/28 (42.9%) of states set minimum systolic blood pressure at 90 mmHg, while 10/28 (35.7%) set other SBP goals. The remaining 6/28 (21.4%) did not provide TBI-specific SBP goals. Conclusions There is wide variation among civilian prehospital protocols for traumatic brain injury. Prehospital care within the first “golden hour” may dramatically affect patient outcomes. Neurocritical care providers should be mindful of geographic variation in local protocols when designing and evaluating quality improvement interventions and should aim to standardize prehospital care protocols.
When an Operating Environment Is Fundamentally Wrong

Operating environment can be defined as the conglomerates of all factors and cost of production as they affect the immediate ambience. They proxied both the political, social, legislative, cultural and natural factors as they impacts businesses. The result of this study shows that factorisation such as in the social, political and legal space can greatly impacts the environments. It evidently shows that those factorisations can impact greatly the cost of production, the operating costs of factors, businesses and the economy both on the long and the short term.
Same-different conceptualization: evolutionary, developmental and neurocognitive implications for behavioral science

There is compelling evidence over many decades of the ability of old-world and new-world monkeys to judge absolute stimulus properties (i.e. form, size and color) to be the same or different. However, when it comes to judging relations-between-relations to be the same or different the answer is, regardless of species or task, some can, but definitely not all of them. Here, we review the evidence over the past 20 years for these constrained successes in relational matching by both old-monkeys and new-monkeys and the challenges they present for their prior labelling of ‘paleological’ monkeys.
Self-Efficacy for Healthy Eating Moderates the Impact of Stress on Diet Quality Among Family Child Care Home Providers.

Abstract Objective To examine associations of stress and sleep with diet quality of family child care home (FCCH) providers, and whether self-efficacy for healthy eating influences these associations. Design A cross-sectional analysis was performed using baseline data (2013–2015) from a randomized control trial with FCCH providers. Participants The study included 166 licensed FCCH providers, aged >18 years, from central North Carolina. Main Outcome Measure(s) Diet quality was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire, used to calculate a modified 2010-Healthy Eating Index score. Stress, sleep quality, and diet self-efficacy were measured via self-administered questionnaires. Analysis Using observations from 158 participants with complete data, multiple linear regression models were created to assess whether stress, sleep quality, and diet self-efficacy were associated with diet quality and whether diet self-efficacy moderated these associations (significance set at P Results In the initial model, only diet self-efficacy was significantly associated with diet quality (β = 0.32; P Conclusions Building FCCH providers’ self-efficacy for healthy eating is an important component of health promotion and can buffer the impact of stress on their diet quality.
Mythic-Theft-Type-One

This dissertation is the result of extensive research into Greek mythological genealogy. Overall, it endeavors to demonstrate that in spite of the attention lavished on Greek mythology and the problem of myth as a historical source, there is an approach to this body of evidence based strictly on genealogical patterning that has not been adequately investigated to date. The genealogical approach gives chronological precedence to patterns first manifest in the Homeric poems, which by comparison with later mythic material delineate the outline of a genealogical template that initially emerged in Aiolic East Greece. This stands to reason on a number of counts, prominently, for example, because it explains the importance of Troy as the appointed target of a legendary Greek conquest in the east (Troy was located in Aiolic East Greek territory), and also because East Greek Asia Minor was the first point of contact between Dark Age Greek culture and Near Eastern metropoleis that deployed genealogy as a structural medium in the canonization of cultural pre-history. Inasmuch as the later Greek mythic corpus readily divides into clusters of stories associated with major mainland Greek city-states, I determined in view of the Homeric evidence, that these state genealogies in general relied on the use of recurrent manipulative techniques designed to supplant the early Aiolic structure, while at the same time retaining the most famous legends amidst a largely restructured genealogical framework. Tracing these patterns further, it turned out to be possible to distinguish and correlate post-Homeric genealogical emendations with political developments on the Greek mainland, where unified opposition to a legendary framework conceived and promoted initially in East Greece led to tangible ideological changes, detectable since they altered but did not destroy all vestiges of the inherited tradition. This hypothesis demands quite detailed exposition because it cannot comfortably coexist with the leading approach to Greek mythogenesis. According to that view, separate regional mythic cycles were rather awkwardly fused together before the emergence of pan-Hellenic self-consciousness in the early Archaic Period. Still, the opposite view, this thesis argues, in which a meaningful whole was incrementally split up into an assortment of disjointed parts is the simpler, more logical explanation for the development of Greek mythic tradition, and is, moreover, capable of comprehending random segments of Greek mythological testimony. What follows, therefore, is a blow-by-blow account of the most pivotal evidence to this effect on the mythical and the historical side, reinforced in conclusion with a case study of a single major genealogical line that was largely preserved in its original form, as verified by its coverage in the Homeric poems and in surviving texts by seven later Greek authors: Bakchylides, Pindar Herodotos, Diodoros, Strabo, Apollodoros, and Pausanias.
Muddying the waters: migration management in the global commons:

Advanced liberal democratic states interdict migrants on the High Seas global commons. Why have liberal states engaged in this practice over the past four decades? Deterrence and humanitarian rescu...
NeuriteNet: A convolutional neural network for assessing morphological parameters of neurite growth.

Abstract Background During development or regeneration, neurons extend processes (i.e., neurites) via mechanisms that can be readily analyzed in culture. However, defining the impact of a drug or genetic manipulation on such mechanisms can be challenging due to the complex arborization and heterogeneous patterns of neurite growth in vitro. New Method: NeuriteNet is a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) sorting model that uses a novel adaptation of the XRAI saliency map overlay, which is a region-based attribution method. NeuriteNet compares neuronal populations based on differences in neurite growth patterns, sorts them into respective groups, and overlays a saliency map indicating which areas differentiated the image for the sorting procedure. Results In this study, we demonstrate that NeuriteNet effectively sorts images corresponding to dissociated neurons into control and treatment groups according to known morphological differences. Furthermore, the saliency map overlay highlights the distinguishing features of the neuron when sorting the images into treatment groups. NeuriteNet also identifies novel morphological differences in neurons cultured from control and genetically modified mouse strains. Comparison with Existing Methods: Unlike other neurite analysis platforms, NeuriteNet does not require manual manipulations, such as segmentation of neurites prior to analysis, and is more accurate than experienced researchers for categorizing neurons according to their pattern of neurite growth. Conclusions NeuriteNet can be used to effectively screen for morphological differences in a heterogeneous group of neurons and to provide feedback on the key features distinguishing those groups via the saliency map overlay.
Thailand as an Awkward Middle Power

Thailand defies common international hierarchies. Given the growing multipolarity of the international system, there is a need to increase our understanding of countries that are neither great nor ‘regional powers’, nor traditional middle powers. Thailand is a middle-income country, with developing military and technological capacities, and they play a role in regional organisations. Yet, Thailand refrains from seeking greater participation or leadership in global organisations. Thailand does not match the definition of either a traditional or an emerging middle power. Thus, the country is ripe for examination in a different conceptual category. This chapter examines in depth Thailand’s fit with the concept of awkward powers and it argues that in order to understand its status and behaviour, we must focus on domestic political considerations. This chapter demonstrates that a country’s internal political dynamics drives their international status and priorities.
A Guide to Advanced Linear Algebra

Linear algebra occupies a central place in modern mathematics. This book provides a rigorous and thorough development of linear algebra at an advanced level, and is directed at graduate students and professional mathematicians. It approaches linear algebra from an algebraic point of view, but its selection of topics is governed not only for their importance in linear algebra itself, but also for their applications throughout mathematics. Students in algebra, analysis, and topology will find much of interest and use to them, and the careful treatment and breadth of subject matter will make this book a valuable reference for mathematicians throughout their professional lives. Topics treated in this book include: vector spaces and linear transformations; dimension counting and applications; representation of linear transformations by matrices; duality; determinants and their uses; rational and especially Jordan canonical form; bilinear forms; inner product spaces; normal linear transformations and the spectral theorem; and an introduction to matrix groups as Lie groups. The book treats vector spaces in full generality, though it concentrates on the finite dimensional case. Also, it treats vector spaces over arbitrary fields, specializing to algebraically closed fields or to the fields of real and complex numbers as necessary.
Control for stochastic sampling variation and qualitative sequencing error in next generation sequencing.

Background Clinical implementation of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) is challenged by poor control for stochastic sampling, library preparation biases and qualitative sequencing error. To address these challenges we developed and tested two hypotheses.