cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Upper Nasopharyngeal Corridor for Transnasal Endoscopic Drainage of Petroclival Cholesterol Granulomas: Alternative Access in Conchal Sphenoid Patients.

Background Cholesterol granulomas arising at the petrous apex can be treated via traditional open surgical, endoscopic, and endoscopic-assisted approaches. Endoscopic approaches require access to the sphenoid sinus, which is technically challenging in patients with conchal sphenoidal anatomy. Clinical Presentation A 55-year-old woman presented with intermittent headaches and tinnitus. Formal audiometry demonstrated moderately severe bilateral hearing loss. CT of the temporal bones and sella revealed a well-demarcated expansile lytic mass. MRI of the face, orbit, and neck showed a right petrous apex mass measuring 22 × 18 × 19 mm that was hyperintense on T1- and T2-weighted images without enhancement, consistent with a cholesterol granuloma. The patient had a conchal sphenoidal anatomy. Operative Technique Herein, we present an illustrative case of a low-lying petroclival cholesterol granuloma in a patient with conchal sphenoidal anatomy to describe an alternative high nasopharyngeal corridor for endoscopic transnasal transclival access. Postoperative Course Postoperatively, the patient's symptoms recovered and no complications occurred. Follow-up imaging demonstrated a patent drainage tract without evidence of recurrence. Conclusion In patients with a conchal sphenoid sinus, endoscopic transnasal transclival access can be gained using a high nasopharyngeal approach. This corridor facilitates safe access to these lesions and others in this location.
Electrochemical Investigation of Benzil/Aluminum Ion Interactions

The interaction of benzil with aluminum(III) trifluoromethane-sulfonate (Al(TfO)3) has been studied in both acetonitrile (AN) and 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium trifluoromethanesulfonate (BMPY TfO). In AN, benzil forms a strong complex with added Al3+ as suggested by a +0.50 V shift in the benzil reduction potential. Al3+ ions are also involved in the benzil reduction process. In BMPY TfO, benzil does not form a strong Al3+ complex, although Al3+ continues to play a role by strongly interacting with the benzil reduction products.
A System Architecture to Aggregate Video Surveillance Data in Smart Cities

In recent years, we have experienced many initiatives in developing smart cities across the world. In these densely populated cities, video surveillance will play an integral role to ensure the safety of the citizens. The major challenge will be to transport high volumes of data generated from dense deployment of video cameras throughout the city to a central aggregation facility for analysis and storage. To address this problem, we propose a system solution using existing public bus transit system to collect data from the cameras and physically transport it to the bus terminus, to be uploaded to the data center. The system uses heterogeneous wireless network interfaces, where the camera nodes form a mesh network to route the data to the nearest bus stop for offloading. We utilize high capacity links using mmWave devices at bus stops to offload the data to the buses when they make routine stops. We also propose a novel routing protocol, R2H, to route the data generated from these cameras to a bus stop while minimizing the time to offload the video data to an incoming bus. The protocol is designed to be aware of the various challenges that are specific to this system like bus schedule and video payload. We have evaluated our system using wireless experiments and simulation using actual bus route maps and times from New York city area. Our analysis shows that R2H achieves 60% less end to end delay compared to OLSR under varying video payload and time of the day.
Magnetically launched flyer plate technique for probing electrical conductivity of compressed copper

The electrical conductivity of materials under extremes of temperature and pressure is of crucial importance for a wide variety of phenomena, including planetary modeling, inertial confinement fusion, and pulsed power based dynamic materials experiments. There is a dearth of experimental techniques and data for highly compressed materials, even at known states such as along the principal isentrope and Hugoniot, where many pulsed power experiments occur. We present a method for developing, calibrating, and validating material conductivity models as used in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. The difficulty in calibrating a conductivity model is in knowing where the model should be modified. Our method isolates those regions that will have an impact. It also quantitatively prioritizes which regions will have the most beneficial impact. Finally, it tracks the quantitative improvements to the conductivity model during each incremental adjustment. In this paper, we use an experiment on Sandia National Labor...
The concept of probability in statistical physics

Foundational issues in statistical mechanics and the more general question of how probability is to be understood in the context of physical theories are both areas that have been neglected by philosophers of physics. This book fills an important gap in the literature by providing a most systematic study of how to interpret probabilistic assertions in the context of statistical mechanics. The book explores both subjectivist and objectivist accounts of probability, and takes full measure of work in the foundations of probability theory, in statistical mechanics, and in mathematical theory. It will be of particular interest to philosophers of science, physicists and mathematicians interested in foundational issues, and also to historians of science.
Abstract 1713: Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and down-regulation of the androgen receptor in prostate cancer cells by the curcumin analog C48

The androgen receptor (AR) is a critical player in prostate cancer (CaP) development and progression and is a well-established therapeutic target. Recent studies have shown the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is an important modulator of the AR acting as an adaptor for ubiquitin ligases and increasing the degradation of the AR. The natural product curcumin, a known inhibitor of the AR, has been shown to modulate the activity of the AhR. We have identified a curcumin analog, C48, which potently inhibits CaP cell proliferation. The purpose of this study was to identify molecular pathways that contribute to the effects of C48 on CaP cells, which may involve AR down-regulation through an AhR-mediated mechanism. Androgen-sensitive LAPC4, LNCaP and C4-2 CaP cells were used to perform these studies. We have found that C48 potently reduces AR expression levels in CaP cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. C48 also decreased expression of genes induced by the AR, such as prostate specific antigen. We have found that a potent AhR activator, benzo(a)pyrene, down-regulates AR protein expression in CaP cells. As with benzo(a)pyrene, C48 was found to activate the AhR as determined using an AhR-activated reporter system. In addition, C48 potently induced markers of AhR activation including cytochrome P450 1A1 and aldoketoreductase 1C1 in CaP cells. Previous studies (e.g., Fritz et al., 2007) have shown that the AhR may act as a prostate cancer suppressor. Results from this study may facilitate the identification of safe and effective agents, such as the curcumin analog C48, that target AR down-regulation as a potential therapeutic strategy for prostate cancer without the toxicities associated with agents such as benzo(a)pyrene. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1713.
Territorialism in Deer

Territory, as here used, is meant to include an area or range exclusively occupied by an individual or group of individuals of a species, which is defined and recognized by them as their exclusive property or territory. Such a territory may be actively defended against invasion by others outside the territory of the individual group. Where not defended, the territory is nevertheless definitely marked by recognizable “sign posts” on the territory. What is perhaps more significant in regard to these sign posts is not so much the recognition of the territory by the animal or animals making the sign posts as the psychological effect that these sign posts have on non-members of the territory by an intimidation of the stranger entering such an occupied territory. Darling's (1937) explanation that home range is physiological and that territory is psychological is an attractively simple definition. However I doubt that it can be as simple and clear cut as this, and the author himself would probably be the first to admit that it would be extremely difficult to separate the physiological factors from the psychological factors that enter into the determination of either home range or territorial behaviorism. Territories are usually the direct or indirect result of breeding requirements or food needs or both. Territorialistic behavior is usually developed in direct relation to the social development of the animal, the greater the social development the greater the degree of territorialistic behavior. The sedentary habits and the tendency to occupy a well-defined home range is well recognized and generally understood in members of the Family Cervidae. Territorialism, on the other hand, apparently has been overlooked, or is not recognized in this group by most workers. Flerov (1952) and Kaplanov (1948) all give excellent descriptions of the rutting and general behavior of the various members …
Clinical Observation on Simvastatin in 90 Cases of Hypercholesterolemia

[Objective]To study the efficacy of simvastatin in treatment of hypercholesterolemia.[Methods]A draught of simvastatin (20 mg) were given to patients whose total cholesterol ≥6.0 mmol/L at night for 8weeks.The total cholesterol levels pre and post treatment were tested.[Results]There were significant differences in cholesterol (that of pre and post treatment was 6.85±0.21and 5.52±0.32.mmol/L respectively) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (that of pre and post treatment was 4.02±0.81 mmol/L and 3.25±0.67mmol/L respectively ) between pre and post treatment(P0.01).[Conclusion] Simvastatin is an ideal drug for hypercholesterolemia, which is easy administration and had less adverse reactions.
Statistical standardization of amniocentesis data in erythroblastosis fetalis.

Seventy-three amniotic fluid samples from pregnancies in which babies required exchange transfusion (Group II) were compared with 79 amniotic fluid specimens from pregnancies in which exchange transfusion was unnecessary (Group I). ΔOD 450 taken from a semilog plot should be recorded on plain paper when a prediction chart is developed. Values in both groups tend to decline as pregnancy advances. Group II values decline more rapidly than Group I values so amniotic fluid analysis is less reliable in late pregnancy. The exact probability of a given value belonging to either group can be calculated by comparing the areas of the normal probability curve which the obtained value demarcates for each group. The line between the two groups is higher than previously reported.
Health Habits of Employees in a Large Medical Center: Time Trends and Impact of a Worksite Wellness Facility.

Worksite health interventions are not novel but their effect remains subject of debate. We examined employer-based wellness program to determine health habits trends, and compare prevalence estimates to national data. We conducted serial surveys (1996 and 2007–10) to employees of a large medical center that included questions measuring outcomes, including obesity, regular exercise, cardiovascular activity, and smoking status. Logistic regression models were estimated to compare data by membership across years, considering p-values ≤ 0.01 as statistically significant. 3,206 employees responded (Response rates 59–68%). Obesity prevalence increased over time in members and nonmembers of the wellness facility, consistent with national trends. Members had a lower prevalence of cigarette smoking compared to nonmembers (overall year-adjusted odds ratio 0.66, P < 0.001). Further, employees had a lower prevalence of cigarette smoking (9.7 vs. 17.3% in 2010, P < 0.001) compared with national data. Wellness facility membership was associated with increased regular exercise and cardiovascular exercise (P < 0.001) compared to nonmembers. In summary, working in a medical center was associated with a decreased prevalence of cigarette smoking, but not with lower prevalence of obesity. Worksite wellness facility membership was associated with increased exercise and decreased cigarette smoking. Employer-based interventions may be effective in improving some health behaviors.
Use of the Quinolones in Treatment of Bacterial Meningitis

Publisher Summary The quinolones most studied in animal models of meningitis and in humans are ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, pefloxacin, trovafloxacin, gemifloxacin, gatifloxacin, and moxifloxacin. Some of the characteristics of the new fluorinated quinolones that make them potentially useful in the therapy of bacterial meningitis include excellent in vitro activity against the Gram-negative aerobic microorganisms, activity against penicillin and cephalosporin-resistant pneumococci, and reproducible cerebrospinal fluid penetration in animal models and in humans. The quinolones have been used in the management of bacterial meningitis due to multidrug-resistant Gram-negative agents, in chemoprophylaxis of contacts of patients with Neisseria meningitides infections, and in the therapy of epidemic meningococcal meningitis in Africa. Despite this, the quinolones have been infrequently used in meningitis because the majority of cases occurred in the pediatric population, where quinolones have been relatively contraindicated. This practice will likely change as more clinical experience is reported with fluoroquinolones in children and adults.
Attributions for Success and Failure in Mathematics: A Comparative Study of Catholic and Public School Students

The documented higher performance of minority students in Catholic versus public schools raises questions about motivational factors that may underlie the impact of parochial education. This study examines attributions for success and failure and their relationship to mathematics achievement in a sample of African American, Latino, and Caucasian fifth- and sixth-grade public and Catholic school students. Results showed that relative to their public school peers minority students in Catholic schools endorsed attributions that were more adaptive for learning. Specifically: 1) Latino and African American Catholic school students were less likely to attribute success in mathematics to external factors, 2) Latino Catholic school students were more likely to attribute success to ability, and 3) African American Catholic school students were less likely to attribute failure to external factors. Further, for Latino students, Catholic but not public school membership was positively associated with mathematics achievement. Results are discussed in the context of school culture.
Use of topiramate for spinal cord injury-related pain.

AbstractBackground: Pain following spinal cord injury (SCI) has proved difficult to treat. Although the use of antiepileptic drugs to treat SCI-related pain has been studied previously, topiramate has not been investigated in this population. Our recent experience suggests that topiramate may be efficacious in the treatment of SCI-related pain.Method: Case Studies Findings: This report presents the clinical histories of two people with pain following SCI who reported beneficial effects of treatment with the new antiepileptic drug topiramate, even after failing treatment with standard analgesic medications. Topiramate was well tolerated in these patients.Conclusion: For post-SCI pain, topiramate appears to be an effective treatment in some patients. Based on the present anecdotal findings, larger controlled studies comparing topiramate with standard treatment for SCI-related pain are warranted.
A Surgeon's Guide to Obtaining Hemorrhage Control in Combat-Related Dismounted Lower Extremity Blast Injuries.

ABSTRACTThe application of lessons learned on the battlefield for timely surgical control of lower extremity hemorrhage secondary to blast injuries to the civilian practice for similar wounding patterns from industrial accidents or terrorist activities is imperative. Although simple cut-down procedures are commonly sufficient for the control of blood vessels for distal extremity traumatic amputations, high-thigh or disarticulation wounding patterns often require more complex surgical methods. The following details both the decision-making process and operative techniques for controlling hemorrhage from lower extremity blast injuries.
Delicate competing electronic states in ultrathin manganite films

The coupling between the electrical transport properties of $\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{a}}_{2/3}\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{1/3}\mathrm{Mn}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ (LSMO) thin films and structural phase transitions of $\mathrm{SrTi}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ (STO) substrates at ${T}_{\mathrm{s}}=105\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$ has been investigated. We found that the electrical resistivity of LSMO films exhibit a ``cusp'' at ${T}_{\mathrm{s}}$, which is greatly amplified by tuning films to the verge of metallic and insulating phases, i.e., to the boundary of two delicate competing electronic states. Our results demonstrate that small amounts of strain can tip the subtle balance of competing interactions and tune the electronic properties in correlated electron materials.
Defective Carbon-Based Materials for the Electrochemical Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), an important industrial chemical, is currently produced through an energy-intensive anthraquinone process that is limited to large-scale facilities. Small-scale decentralized electrochemical production of H2O2 via a two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) offers unique opportunities for sanitization applications and the purification of drinking water. The development of inexpensive, efficient, and selective catalysts for this reaction remains a challenge. Herein, we examine two different porous carbon-based electrocatalysts and show that they exhibit high selectivity for H2O2 under alkaline conditions. By rationally varying synthetic methods, we explore the effect of pore size on electrocatalytic performance. Furthermore, by means of density functional calculations, we point out the critical role of carbon defects. Our theory results show that the majority of defects in graphene are naturally selective for the two-electron reduction of O2 to H2O2, and we identify the types o...
Poliovirus induces autophagic signaling independent of the ULK1 complex.

Poliovirus (PV), like many positive-strand RNA viruses, subverts the macroautophagy/autophagy pathway to promote its own replication. Here, we investigate whether the virus uses the canonical autop...
The NIADDK Hormone Distribution Program

By the middle 1950s researchers had established that the human pituitary produced human growth hormone (hGH), which was species specific—thus explaining why animal growth hormone would not work in humans. Because human pituitaries were then the only source of hGH, many individual efforts were mounted around the country to collect human pituitaries at autopsy so that the growth hormone could be extracted and given to children with demonstrated GH deficiency. It soon became obvious that chaos would result if various groups were all trying to collect and compete for the scarce and valuable materials. In order to consolidate the collection of pituitaries, the College of American Pathologists and the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases [now the National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIADDK)] agreed to cooperate on the formation of a centralized collection agency; thus the National Pituitary Agency (NPA) was established. (NIADDK’s involvement in this program is possible because the material produced is used for research. Each child who receives GH and is helped to grow must be involved in a research protocol.)
Imaging of the Spine for Traumatic and Nontraumatic Etiologies

■ Imaging in older children and adolescent victims of trauma should be limited to those who have any of the following criteria: (1) altered neurologic function, (2) intoxication, (3) midline posterior bony cervical spine tenderness, and (4) other painful distracting injury (moderate evidence).
AIDS. Implementation of universal blood and body fluid precautions.

SUMMARY The use of “universal blood and body-fluid precautions,” or “uni-versal precautions” to prevent the acquisition of blood-borne diseases in health care workers is now widely recommended. Such recommendations are soundly based on a number of biologic, psychologic, and administrative bases. Implementation of the program in an individual hospital is an imposing task, requiring administrative support and skill. A process for establishing initial definitions for the more ambiguous areas, and for administrative and educational support to all levels of care needs to be defined in advance, then put into effect. A wider definition of “universal precautions,” which approaches the “Body Substance Isolation” system, is discussed. The use of a “task-classification” system, evaluating the risk inherent in specific tasks, may actually aid both the implementation and the acceptance of such a program.
"Hey Doc! Something's Crawling Out of My Foot.".

A physician Peace Corps physician working in Africa describes in his most recent online journal entry some of the diseases that volunteers frequently acquire and their treatment. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Modeling and Control of DC-AC Power Converters of Distributed Energy Resources in Microgrids

The high penetration of power electronic interfaced distributed energy resources in microgrids raises several problems on the stability and power quality of microgrids. In this chapter, the modeling of DC-AC converters is discussed based on the characteristics of the MGs. The control techniques developed for DC-AC converters are briefly discussed. The capabilities and limits of these control methods are presented in order to enable the researchers to find suitable control strategy for a specified microgrid application. Finally, a performance test of microgrids is analyzed based on power quality and stability of microgrids. In this analysis, various scenarios are developed in order to examine the performance of the system. Some of the main issues which must be considered are discussed such as: 1) Power quality and regulation in the steady state operation, 2) Stability under low and medium frequency disturbances, 3) Stability under high frequency disturbances. This chapter is focused on the inner voltage and current controllers rather than power management of microgrids. The performance tests are developed in MATLAB/SIMULINK in which a more realistic performance of the system is tested using the SimPowerSystem Toolbox.
Photoautotrophic-Periphyton Composition in Reaches with Differing Nutrient Concentrations in the Harpeth River of Middle Tennessee

ABSTRACT Four sites of the Harpeth River, two upstream and two downstream of the Franklin Wastewater Treatment Facility in Franklin, Tennessee, were sampled to assess the impact of nutrient enrichment on the integrity of photoautotrophic periphyton. Concentrations of total phosphorus of water samples ranged from 310 μg.L−1 at the uppermost site to 1035 μg.L−1 at the site immediately downstream of the wastewater treatment facility. Concentrations of total nitrogen of water samples ranged from 687 μg.L−1 at the uppermost site to 1,434 μg.L−1 at the site immediately downstream of the wastewater treatment facility. Concentrations of benthic chlorophyll a did not differ significantly among the sites and ranged from 103 ± 11 mg.m−2 at the site immediately upstream of the wastewater treatment facility to 151 ± 13 mg.m−2 at the site immediately downstream. Percent composition of 186 algae taxa were documented: 92 taxa of soft-bodied algae and 94 taxa of diatoms. Values for the algae trophic index for soft-bodied...
Genetics in Hematologic Disorders: Implications of Recurring Chromosome Abnormalities and Gene Mutations

Clonal chromosome abnormalities and somatic gene mutations are the hallmarks of many leukemia and lymphoma, such as t(9;22)/BCR/ABL1 fusions in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and t(8;14)/IGH/MYC fusions in Burkitt leukemia and lymphoma. Nonrandom chromosome translocations, inversion and insertion, loss and gain of chromosomes, and deletions and amplifications of parts of chromosomes and gene mutations are readily detected by chromosome analysis, FISH and microarray tests, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques. Chromosome translocation and/or inversion in myeloid and lymphoid leukemia and lymphoma frequently involve the genes that are functionally related to transcriptional regulation, epigenetic regulation, cell cycling, apoptosis regulation, and cytokine signaling pathways. Detecting certain chromosome abnormalities greatly helps in establishing a precise diagnosis and differential diagnosis and also in selecting appropriate treatment. Moreover, chromosome abnormalities are the most significant prognostic factors for patients with de novo acute leukemia and lymphoma. With novel molecular techniques, particularly next-generation sequencing, more genetic biomarkers are being discovered, many of which are genetic-based therapeutic targets that allow various clinical trials with promising novel treatment options, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting PDL1/PDL2 in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). This progress from new genetic findings will further enable us better to understand the genetic mechanisms of relevant genes and novel fusions in various leukemo- and lymphogenesis, define new disease entities, and allow us to study on treatment resistance in many patients even with novel genetic-based treatment.
Epinephrine Administered for Anaphylaxis Unmasking a Type 1 Brugada Pattern on Electrocardiogram.

Abstract Background Brugada pattern on electrocardiography (ECG) can manifest as type 1 (coved pattern) and type 2 (saddleback pattern). Brugada syndrome represents an ECG with Brugada pattern in a patient with symptoms or clinical factors, including syncope, cardiac arrest, ventricular dysrhythmias, and family history. Brugada syndrome is caused by a genetic channelopathy, but the Brugada pattern may be drug-induced. Epinephrine-induced Brugada pattern has not been reported previously. Case Report A 63-year-old man developed anaphylaxis secondary to a bee sting, had a transient loss of consciousness, and self-administered intramuscular epinephrine. He subsequently presented to the emergency department and was found to have a type 1 Brugada pattern on ECG that resolved during observation. A historic ECG was reviewed that demonstrated a baseline type 2 Brugada pattern. His anaphylaxis was managed with steroids and antihistamines. He was observed without subsequent dysrhythmic events on telemetry or any further symptoms. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? The differential diagnosis for syncope includes dysrhythmia, such as Brugada syndrome. Among other possible drugs, epinephrine may induce a type 1 Brugada pattern. Patients with Brugada pattern on ECG should be referred immediately to electrophysiology for consideration of implantation of a cardioverter-defibrillator device, given the association of Brugada pattern with sudden cardiac arrest and ventricular dysrhythmias.
Nuclear Data Sheets for (even-A) A = 244 through A = 262*

Abstract The available experimental data pertaining to the nuclear structure of nuclei with even mass numbers A = 244 through 262 are compiled (the odd-A mass chains will be published in 1976). The results from various decay and reaction measurements, as available through September 1975, are compared and evaluated and α -hindrance factors are calculated (see Table 2).
Explaining Indian Moderation During Crises, 1999–2016

This chapter is a comparative analysis of Indian decision-making in the four crises examined in Chap. 2. It asks why New Delhi consistently chose temperate, measured responses to significant Pakistani and Pakistan-abetted provocations. I argue that, in combination, three of the most common explanations—nuclear deterrence, U.S. crisis management, and a lack of favorable conventional military options—best account for Indian forbearance. Of these three causes, the nuclear factor is most important, because the other two are both linked and subservient to it. The Indo-Pakistani nuclear competition generates the urgent need for crisis management and sharply diminishes New Delhi’s favorable options for conventional retaliation. The least compelling explanation for Indian moderation is the ostensible doctrine of Indian strategic restraint, which stems from the deterrent power of nuclear weapons, not from any doctrine or abiding principle of Indian strategic culture.
Disease-Associated PNPLA6 Mutations Maintain Partial Functions When Analyzed in Drosophila.

Mutations in patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 6 (PNPLA6) have been linked with a number of inherited diseases with clinical symptoms that include spastic paraplegia, ataxia, and chorioretinal dystrophy. PNPLA6 is an evolutionary conserved protein whose ortholog in Drosophila is Swiss-Cheese (SWS). Both proteins are phospholipases hydrolyzing lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and phosphatidylcholine (PC). Consequently, loss of SWS/PNPLA6 in flies and mice increases both lipids and leads to locomotion deficits and neurodegeneration. PNPLA6 knock-out mice are embryonic lethal, and a mutation creating an early stop codon in human PNPLA6 has only been identified in compound heterozygote patients. In contrast, disease-causing point mutations are found in homozygous patients, with some localized in the phospholipase domain while others are in a region that contains several cNMP binding sites. To investigate how different mutations affect the function of PNPLA6 in an in vivo model, we expressed them in the Drosophila sws1 null mutant. Expressing wild-type PNPLA6 suppressed the locomotion and degenerative phenotypes in sws1 and restored lipid levels, confirming that the human protein can replace fly SWS. In contrast, none of the mutant proteins restored lipid levels, although they suppressed the behavioral and degenerative phenotypes, at least in early stages. These results show that these mutant forms of PNPLA6 retain some biological function, indicating that disruption of lipid homeostasis is only part of the pathogenic mechanism. Furthermore, our finding that mutations in the cNMP binding sites prevented the restoration of normal lipid levels supports previous evidence that cNMP regulates the phospholipase activity of PNPLA6.
Creating Serious Games with the Game Design Matrix.

Serious Games can be a powerful tool for educators to boost the level of student engagement in academic environments, but the level of game expertise and knowledge required in order to design a game with playable mechanics and well integrated learning objectives can be overwhelming. This high barrier to entry for inexperienced designers attempting to employ serious games has not been addressed in a commonly available or recognized step-by-step game design framework. This paper creates a framework which uses the Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics (MDA) design process as the cornerstone of a step-by-step design matrix targeted at new game designers. It empowers someone with a minimal background in game design to have a much greater level of effectiveness. This is accomplished by using learning objectives and environmental constraints to map ideal game dynamics and game mechanics. A static analysis of existing games is used to assess the effectiveness of the game dynamic and game mechanics mapping matrix. A dynamic analysis of the framework is conducted by creating a cyber education focused serious game using the learning objectives and environmental constraints from an active classroom.
Hospital-Level Care at Home for Acutely Ill Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background Substitutive hospital-level care in a patient's home may reduce cost, health care use, and readmissions while improving patient experience, although evidence from randomized controlled trials in the United States is lacking. Objective To compare outcomes of home hospital versus usual hospital care for patients requiring admission. Design Randomized controlled trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03203759). Setting Academic medical center and community hospital. Patients 91 adults (43 home and 48 control) admitted via the emergency department with selected acute conditions. Intervention Acute care at home, including nurse and physician home visits, intravenous medications, remote monitoring, video communication, and point-of-care testing. Measurements The primary outcome was the total direct cost of the acute care episode (sum of costs for nonphysician labor, supplies, medications, and diagnostic tests). Secondary outcomes included health care use and physical activity during the acute care episode and at 30 days. Results The adjusted mean cost of the acute care episode was 38% (95% CI, 24% to 49%) lower for home patients than control patients. Compared with usual care patients, home patients had fewer laboratory orders (median per admission, 3 vs. 15), imaging studies (median, 14% vs. 44%), and consultations (median, 2% vs. 31%). Home patients spent a smaller proportion of the day sedentary (median, 12% vs. 23%) or lying down (median, 18% vs. 55%) and were readmitted less frequently within 30 days (7% vs. 23%). Limitation The study involved 2 sites, a small number of home physicians, and a small sample of highly selected patients (with a 63% refusal rate among potentially eligible patients); these factors may limit generalizability. Conclusion Substitutive home hospitalization reduced cost, health care use, and readmissions while increasing physical activity compared with usual hospital care. Primary funding source Partners HealthCare Center for Population Health and internal departmental funds.
Chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy for pediatric and young adult B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Though 85% of children and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are cured, until recently, the prognosis of relapsed or refractory disease has been dismal. The advent of chimeric an...
Some Realism about the Admission of Parol Evidence in Sales Cases under the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and the Uniform Commercial Code

This article, a contribution to a book celebrating forty years of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), compares two seemingly opposite rules, one adopting the parol evidence rule (PER) and one disposing of it. Under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which governs domestic United States sales of goods, the PER bars the admission of evidence of promises and representations that contradict a subsequent written contract intended to be complete. The CISG would admit such evidence because of the absence of a PER. The UCC and CISG’s rules are thus polar opposites. Still, the thesis of this article is that U.S. courts that must decide whether such evidence is admissible often can reach the same result under either rule. This is because an important goal of both CISG and the UCC is to enforce the parties’ intentions. The discussion here predicts that U.S. courts will focus on this policy, and when the evidence persuasively furthers the goal of enforcing intentions, the courts will admit the evidence, and when not they will discard it. And this process will occur regardless of whether the applicable law is CISG or the UCC.
Lenition in North Sea Germanic

Abstract Lenition, or postvocalic weakening of obstruents, occurred in several languages in North Sea Germanic. Although the main centers of Germanic lenition lie outside this region, in High German and Danish, systemic lenition took place in Low German, North Frisian, and Dutch. Lenition in northern Low German is completely independent of lenition in High German, but the area does, however, border on Danish, which has the most far reaching of the Germanic lenitions. Lenition in mainland North Frisian is also in an area adjacent to Danish, but it displays a modified and rather unique form. In Dutch, there are only two small isolated areas with systemic lenition, one in Groningish and one in East Flemish. In general, lenition is attributed to the establishment of complementary length and the correlation of syllable cut in accented syllables. There are several convincing arguments to support this claim. Lenition is considered a Germanic trend, which is present only in its nascent form in other areas of West Germanic.
Laminar flame speed measurements of ethylene at high preheat temperatures and for diluted oxidizers

Abstract Laminar flame speeds of ethylene are measured and the results are compared to predictions based on detailed chemical kinetic mechanisms. As important aspects of jet fuel chemistry involve ethylene, the flame speeds are determined at conditions relevant to jet engine combustors that have not been previously investigated, specifically high preheat temperatures (up to 650 K) and reduced O2 levels (down to 15% mole fraction in the oxidizer). The latter is relevant to staged-combustion and vitiation, where there is partial pre-burning of the oxidizing flow; so flame speeds are also measured with both CO2 and N2 dilution. Flame speed measurements of ethylene-air mixtures at room temperature conditions agree well (within 10%) of measurements with previous results from the literature and the chemical kinetic mechanism predictions. As the preheat temperature is increased to 650 K and with N2 dilution, the chemical mechanism predictions agree reasonably well with the measurements (generally within 10%). With CO2 dilution of the oxidizer, however, larger prediction discrepancies are found. The mechanisms over predict the measured flame speeds, and the prediction error increases with the amount of CO2 in the oxidizer. Analysis of different possible sources of discrepancy point to the third-body efficiency of CO2 as a likely reason; specifically, it may be underestimated for three-body association reactions such as H + O2 (+M) ⇔ HO2 (+M).
Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer presenting as urothelial carcinoma

Hereditary leiomyomatosis is a genetic disorder that follows an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. Along with a variety of leiomyomas, affected individuals are predisposed to developing an ...
The Lutheran Imaginary That Underpins Social Democracy.

Scandinavian social democracy is increasingly upheld as an alternative that could reform capitalism. The Nordic Model produces income equality, low-conflict politics, and happy people. When half of young Americans express that they would prefer “socialism,” they generally mean to live in a society that provides for its citizens as the Nordics do. Such aspirations are complicated by how social democracy can be viewed as a secularized form of Lutheranism, the Protestant creed that the Nordic region embraced in the sixteenth century. Lutheran norms and values carried into the modern era and made possible social democracy’s two distinguishing features: fascist corporatism and socialist redistribution. A strong state facilitates statist individualism, which empowers individuals vis-a-vis employers, parents, and spouses. The outcome could be cross-culturally salient, as it brings people closer to our species’ fission-fusion baseline. Yet in the modern environment, only Nordics seem to have a cultural imaginary that makes compelling the politics that drive such high levels of both productivity and egalitarianism. The region’s storytelling reflects this Lutheran past and is used to negotiate modern adaptations. A better understanding of social democracy could help prevent that demands for “socialism” motivate a turn to actual socialism.
Linguistic Analysis of Waveforms

Publisher Summary This chapter presents linguistic analysis of waveforms. The distinguishing features determining class membership of a function of a single variable can be of two types, either spread out throughout its domain or concentrated in small subsets of it. A standard problem in numerical analysis is the approximation of a given function by a polynomial or a rational function while minimizing some error norm over the domain of interest. A variant of this problem is to subdivide the domain in a fixed number, say n, of subintervals and use a different approximating function in each one of them with certain constraints on the continuity of the approximation at the junctions of the subintervals. The theory of splines deals with this problem, especially in the case when the subdivisions are fixed. The degree of approximation can be improved if the points of subdivision are allowed to vary. The segmentation problem is the most important problem in pattern recognition, especially if it is generalized for multidimensional patterns.
Serious Games in the Global Affairs Classroom

Abstract Online simulations are becoming increasingly popular in international affairs education, and a new wave of social learning games or serious games are now being marketed to global affairs instructors. While few studies empirically evaluate the effectiveness of such games in augmenting traditional classroom methods, it is often assumed that such use of IT significantly enhances students' engagement with political and social issues. We explored this assumption through a qualitative analysis of student Blackboard commentary after playing the game Pax Warrior as a supplement to a genocide prevention module in a graduate policy classroom. Student comments were coded for evidence of substantive engagement, for whether the game tended to engender critical thinking or cynicism, and for student reactions to the game itself. While evidence is mixed and further study is necessary, on balance our analysis suggests that online simulations such as Pax Warrior may indeed provide a valuable means to encourage act...
International Law and the Future of Peace

These remarks, delivered at the April 4, 2013, luncheon of the American Society of International Law Women in International Law Interest Group, reflects on contributions of Jane Addams and other members of the early 20th C. peace movement as a means to explore law and practice related to the contemporary use of force and armed conflict.
Flow Processes in Open Channel Bends

A severe weakness in the presently available theoretical solutions for flow patterns in bends is their failure to yield valid distributions of the longitudinal or forward velocity component. This is primarily due to the complexity of the natural geometry of bends and of the basic flow equations. In place of complete analytic solutions, various approximation methods for predicting boundary shear stress and other flow qualities have been developed. Experimentation has also proved valuable in searching for generalized solutions to these problems. Some field observations made at Buffalo Creek, N.Y. of maximum shear stresses, depths in bends, and related characteristics have been made, analyzed, and correlated with applicable laboratory and analytic studies. These are presented within a framework which attempts to generalize the results.
Toward full participation in management consulting practice: Experiences of recent college graduates

Purpose – This study seeks to understand the college‐to‐work transition process from the perspectives of a group of new management consultants.Design/methodology/approach – This study focuses on the experience of a group of management consultants, how they construct meaning in their work, and the workplace itself. Participants in this study consisted of 25 consultants of a major management consulting firm in the USA. As the main source of information, interviews elicited the consultants’ accounts of their experiences since they were hired and their opinions about issues and events related to their professional development.Findings – From the study, it is clear that learning from project experience and work relationships facilitated the new consultants’ organizational acculturation process and their journeys of becoming management consultants required more than development of competencies. The study shows that development of professional identities and career adaptation to organizational priorities is an e...
Laser ablation and optical surface damage

Optical surface damage is a very complex and important problem in the development and application of high-power lasers. Optical damage may also be considered to be the initial phase of laser ablation. The fundamental mechanisms of optical damage are therefore of significance for applications of laser ablation; on the other hand, measurements of laser ablation have provided valuable evidence regarding the fundamental mechanisms of optical damage. Other methods for investigating optical surface damage include surface characterization before and after the damage event, short-pulse optical probes of laser-surface interactions, photothermal deflection or deformation, and transient grating techniques to measure heating and thermal conduction of surfaces and coatings. These methods are discussed and the current state of understanding of optical damage mechanisms is reviewed.
Astronomical Information on Meteorite Orbits

Knowledge of the orbit of any given meteorite can only be acquired through an analysis of the data relating to the associated fireball. For a point near the start of the fireball trajectory the required parameters are: geographic latitude (φ) and longitude (λ), time and date (T), radiant elevation (h) and azimuth (A), velocity relative to the earth (V). One must, in general, rely on observational data from the casual observer, since the time and place of the arrival of meteorites cannot be predicted. Hence, the information available is normally of low accuracy. The above observational parameters are listed roughly in order of increasing percentage error, the velocity almost always being in greatest doubt.
Synthesis and Evaluation of an Enantiomerically Enriched Bifunctional Chelator for 64Cu‐Based Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Imaging

We report the synthesis and evaluation of an enantiomerically enriched bifunctional chelator, (S)-C-NE3TA. The bifunctional chelator was efficiently prepared by regioselective and stereoselective ring opening of an aziridinium ion. The new chiral chelator instantly and almost completely bound to 64Cu at room temperature. The corresponding 64Cu-radiolabeled complex remained intact in human serum for 48 h without any measurable transchelation and was tolerant to a rigorous EDTA challenge for 24 h. The 64Cu-radiolabeled (S)-C-NE3TA complex was stable in mice and produced an excellent biodistribution profile. The results of the in vitro and in vivo evaluations indicate that the new optically active chelator is a promising candidate for PET imaging applications.
Engineering metallic nanocavity radiation for efficient uni-/bi-directional coupling into integrated waveguide

We propose a new, simple way to engineer the radiation patterns of subwavelength-scale metallic semiconductor cavities for coupling light from a nanoscale metal cavity into integrated waveguides uni-/bi-directionally with efficiency up to ∼90%.