cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Radioautographic analysis of the secretory process in the parotid acinar cell of the rabbit.

Intracellular transport of secretory proteins has been studied in the parotid to examine this process in an exocrine gland other than the pancreas and to explore a possible source of less degraded membranes than obtainable from the latter gland. Rabbit parotids were chosen on the basis of size (2–2.5 g per animal), ease of surgical removal, and amylase concentration. Sites of synthesis, rates of intracellular transport, and sites of packaging and storage of newly synthesized secretory proteins were determined radioautographically by using an in vitro system of dissected lobules capable of linear amino acid incorporation for 10 hr with satisfactory preservation of cellular fine structure. Adequate fixation of the tissue with minimal binding of unincorporated labeled amino acids was obtained by using 10% formaldehyde-0.175 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) as primary fixative. Pulse labeling with leucine-3H, followed by a chase incubation, showed that the label is initially located (chase: 1–6 min) over the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and subsequently moves as a wave through the Golgi complex (chase: 16–36 min), condensing vacuoles (chase: 36–56 min), immature granules (chase: 56–116 min), and finally mature storage granules (chase: 116–356 min). Distinguishing features of the parotid transport apparatus are: low frequency of RER-Golgi transitional elements, close association of condensing vacuoles with the exit side of Golgi stacks, and recognizable immature secretory granules. Intracelular processing of secretory proteins is similar to that already found in the pancreas, except that the rate is slower and the storage is more prolonged.
Geiger-mode quad-cell array for adaptive optics

We report an array of Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors using high-fill-factor Geiger-mode avalanche detector quad cells hybridized to all-digital CMOS counting circuits. The absence of readout noise facilitates fast wavefront sensing at low light levels.
New Perspectives on the Treatment of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: An Introduction and Historical Overview

The content of the supplement is summarized, including a review of the pathogenesis and diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma and the efficacy and safety of the currently available targeted therapies.
Cost distribution and analysis in computer storage and retrieval

A method for costing computer jobs done by a mechanized storage and retrieval activity is proposed and discussed. Attention is confined solely to computer costs. The Science Information Exchange, a mechanized installation handling information on research in progress is used as the case in point. All computer jobs are grouped as batched, singly run or maintenance tasks. Job unit costs are calculated with and without inclusion of file maintenance costs. Should other activities compute their costs similarly, interactivity cost comparisons can be made readily, opening the door to cost-quality criteria for mechanized searches and report preparation.
Wind-induced Kuroshio intrusion into the South China Sea

The Kuroshio flows north along the east coasts of the Philippines and Taiwan. Between these two land masses lies the Luzon Strait which connects the Pacific Ocean to the South China Sea. The Kuroshio usually flows north past this strait, but at times part or all of it flows west through the strait into the South China Sea forming a loop current. It has been suggested that the loop current forms when the northeast monsoon deflects the Kuroshio through the Luzon Strait. In this study, satellite-derived sea-surface temperature images are used to observe the Kuroshio in the Luzon Strait region. Together with wind data from the region, these observations indicate a loop-current development process which is largely determined by an integrated supercritical wind stress parameter. The loop current grows when a four-day average of the local wind-stress component directed to the south exceeds 0.08 Nm−2. When this average wind-stress component drops below the critical value, the Kuroshio returns to its northward path.
Congressus Mundi Dermatologiae Paris 1889—Paris 2002

Twenty International congresses for dermatology and sexually transmitted diseases were held between 1889 and 2002. The number of attendees and the subjects discussed during such congresses progressively increased in number and quality. The continuous progress and development in the knowledge presented year after year was a natural reflection of development in science, culture, and social standard of the countries that hosted these congresses. In this paper, we highlight the achievements of the great universal figures in dermatology who contributed to its progress, and the important milestones of scientific development that will remain as history and references for the future generation.
Maternal Position During Labor and Birth

The traditional dorsal position for labor and birth is a relatively recent innovation, and distinct disadvantages have been cited. The lateral position and the upright position have been found to improve the quality of uterine contractions. The upright position, in addition, appears to result in shorter, more comfortable labors than the other positions. Women need to be educated as to the benefits of alternative positions and mobility and should be assisted to assume these more physiological postures during parturition.
Novel chemiluminescence assay for serum periostin levels in women with preeclampsia and in normotensive pregnant women

Abstract Objective: We recently developed a novel sandwich chemiluminescence assay to determine serum concentrations of periostin. Periostin has high amino acid homology with transforming growth factor-β–induced protein βigh3, a molecule induced by transforming growth factor-β 1 , which promotes the adhesion and spreading of fibroblasts. It is also homologous with the insect cell adhesion molecule fasciclin I. We determined serum periostin concentrations in women with preeclampsia and in normotensive pregnant women. Study Design: The study groups included 30 women with preeclampsia and 30 normotensive pregnant women at Magee-Womens Hospital. Blood samples collected from these women were assayed for periostin by use of newly developed monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. We studied periostin messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression in human tissues by using reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization. Results: Serum periostin concentrations were elevated in patients with preeclampsia (mean ± SD, 311.8 ± 56.3 ng/mL) compared with normotensive pregnant women (218.8 ± 37.3 ng/mL). No correlation was found between serum concentrations of periostin and concentrations of TGF-β 1 , vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), E-selectin, and interleukin-6. Reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated human periostin expression in lung, kidney, and placenta but not in the heart, liver, brain, or skeletal muscle. For periostin complementary deoxyribonucleic acid cloned from placenta, there was a splicing deletion within the C-terminal domain. In situ hybridization data showed that the periostin gene was expressed in the stroma cells of placenta. Conclusion: Our study suggests that human periostin may play a role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Although its function remains unclear, the expression of periostin as an adhesion molecule could suggest novel mechanisms in preeclampsia. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002;186:103-8.)
Inching locomotion for planetary rover mobility

New articulated planetary rovers offer alternative locomotion modalities beyond conventional rolling wheel mobility.12 These new modalities should be explored to overcome the limitations of traditional rolling mobility, and expand the areas of planetary surfaces amenable to exploration. The topic of this study is a hybrid push-roll locomotion mode called inching. Static (non-rolling) wheels are used in conjunction with the rolling wheels of a vehicle in order to increase net traction potential. Preliminary experiments have shown an approximate doubling in drawbar pull for the inching locomotion mode relative to pure rolling. This improvement is not accounted for by reductions to wheel motion resistance alone, and furthermore evidence is provided that static wheels are capable of reacting more ground thrust than rolling wheels. Further investigations using a transparent soil tank, and novel image processing techniques, reveal key differences in the soil shear failure interface under rolling and static wheels. For the cases studied, static wheels generated much deeper and more unified soil failure masses than rolling wheels. Further investigation is recommended to clarify the physics of these thrust development processes, and ultimately to populate the vehicle design space for inching locomotion.
Temperature dependence of positron annihilation in a Zr-Ti-Ni-Cu-Be bulk metallic glass

A strong temperature dependence of positron annihilation with low-momentum electrons is reported for a Zr-based bulk metallic glass in the temperature range 50–300 K. The observed behavior was rationalized in terms of shallow versus deep positron traps. An interpretation of the data was presented based on the idea that there were two different types of open-volume regions: Bernal interstitial sites and thermally unstable larger holes. Bernal interstitial sites, intrinsic to the glass structure, were found to be insensitive to annealing. Alternatively, the larger holes were removed by annealing. The strong correlation between these larger holes and diffusion and viscous flow processes suggests that they may act as diffusion and flow defects.
B7 Costimulation Plays an Important Role in Protection from Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2-Mediated Pathology

We have used mice lacking both B7-1 and B7-2 costimulation molecules (B7KO) to investigate the effects of B7 costimulation on herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) pathogenesis. B7KO mice infected intravaginally with virulent HSV-2 showed more severe genital and neurologic disease and higher mortality rates than their wild-type counterparts. These results suggest that B7 costimulation molecules play an important role in the development of primary immune responses protective against HSV-2.
Temperature Contours and Ghost-Surfaces for Chaotic Magnetic Fields

Steady state solutions for anisotropic heat transport in a chaotic magnetic field are determined numerically and compared to a set of "ghost-surfaces", surfaces constructed via an action-gradient flow between the minimax and minimizing periodic orbits. The ghost-surfaces are in remarkable agreement with the temperature contours.
Imaging of pharmacologic intervention decoding therapeutic mechanism or defining effectiveness

Thiazolidinediones (TZD) have a variety of cardiovascular effects ([1][1]), and despite the expectation of cardiovascular benefits from improved glycemic control, some members of the group appear to have an adverse effect on mortality ([2][2]). These paradoxical findings reflect the complexities of
Rood-based Program for Decreasing Pre-feeding Behaviours: Part I. Development

This article presents a review and organization of Margaret S. Rood's principles of neurophysiological intervention as related to the pre-feeding behaviours of tongue thrust, drooling, and gag refl...
Fenestrated endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms: a less invasive option for the treatment of juxtarenal aortic aneurysms

Endovascular aortic aneurysm repair has become the predominant surgical therapy for abdominal aortic aneurysms. Whereas anatomical limitations had become the major contraindication to endovascular treatment, fenestrated stent grafts were developed to overcome such obstacles. Fenestrated endovascular aortic aneurysm repair now provides an additional treatment option for patients felt to be unsuitable for an invasive open repair whose anatomy is not compatible with more traditional stent grafts. We review the evolution of fenestrated endovascular aortic aneurysm repair and compare its safety and efficacy to other endovascular options.
Optimization of DWDM transmission network

The main service provider are expanding their service capacity to the greatest extent in recent years.The rapid engineering construction leads to the network problem such as low reliability and low utility of the network resource.All these inevitably call for the optimization of the current networks.This paper focuses on the introduction of network construction and network development and puts forward the optical transmission network optimizing plan.After that,we apply this plan to the optimizing engineering of the transmission network and analyze the network function.The result indicates the high reliability of the new network.This provides an effective scheme for optimizing of the transmission network.
Sociologic study of food habits—a review. II Differentiation, accessibility and solidarity

By combining sociologic and nutritional dimensions of food habits, the level of family “readiness” for certain approaches can be determined and then used in nutrition education programs.
A43Session 12: Cell Death Continuum: It’s Role in Cryomedicine: The effects of a novel cryosurgical device on the molecular mechanisms of cell death

Investigations into the molecular mechanisms underpinning cellular responses to low temperature exposure have highlighted the important role that biochemical cell death plays in procedural outcome. Following cryosurgery, both necrotic and apoptotic cell death are found throughout the cryolesion. Though biochemical cell death (apoptosis) was initially believed to play a major role in only the periphery of the lesion, where cell death through physical rupture wanes and incomplete tissue destruction begins, more recent studies have also shown it to be prevalent at colder isotherms deep within a cryolesion. The mechanisms of this molecular based cell death at ultra cold temperatures ( −25 °C) have been shown to differ from the cell death in the periphery in both its time of onset (1–3 h post thaw vs. 6–24 h) and its induction pathway (extrinsic vs. intrinsic). As studies continue to show the innate, multi-faceted nature of cryosurgery, which includes multiple physical and molecular targets to achieve cell destruction, a window has opened for the development of new strategies and technologies to more effectively ablate targeted tissues. These improvements in our understanding of the cellular responses to freezing are now driving a series of technological advancements in cryosurgical devices. The identification of the combination of physical and molecular cell death throughout the lesion has resulted in the drive to develop new technologies designed to deliver colder temperatures more rapidly and within a more defined area to maximize physical and molecular cell death. This has led, in part, to the development and optimization of a novel cryosurgical device utilizing super critical nitrogen (SCN) as the cryogen. Utilizing this next generation device allows for cryolesions with a lethal volume (the volume of the lesion below −40 °C) 300% larger than current Joule–Thompson (JT) devices. The SCN system is also capable of generating these ultra cold lesions in less than half the time of a JT device and with more precision. This presentation will focus on the recent findings of rapid-onset cell death and the resulting apoptotic wave, and how the integration of the molecular response with the technological advances of SCN are providing a next generation approach to cryosurgery. As novel cryoablative strategies continue to evolve, it is critical that the impact on the biology of cells, tissues, and organs be understood through both device development and laboratory/clinical research. This is of particular significance as the new technologies begin to offer clinically effective, cryoablative treatments for disease states beyond the reach of current cryosurgical devices.
A Course Called “The Hindu-Christian Dialogue”

This upper-level undergraduate theology course (trendily renamed ”Icons in Interface” by one of the wags in my department) originated from long-standing interest and involvement in the Hindu-Christian dialogue. More immediately, it resulted from a grant which allowed me to spend a summer in India, conversing with experts in the dialogue and generating ideas on how to present the dialogue in the form of a course. Since then, I have taught the course three times, and find that it kindles an interest, in both the students and me, qualitatively different from any other course I teach or they take. This is as it should be if the course is to reflect the subject-matter—an idea which has been one of the course's structuring principles. Consequently, there is an attempt to echo the mood and content of interreligious dialogue in the format and atmosphere of the classes. There are severe limitations to this: it would be otiose, and contrary to authentic dialogue, to try to make a Hindu ashram appear, complete with yoga at dawn and silent, vegetarian meals, on an American campus. But use of a chapel instead of a classroom, and of meditation during class time, for example, might help achieve distinctness without being distracting. But, before I get ahead of myself, let me present the particulars of the course in order, as follows: the course's nature, its students and possible teachers, its format, readings, requirements, and central ideas and goals. Evaluative comments will be made in passing, and some bibliographical suggestions appended.
Assumptions and Stakeholders Revisited

This chapter not only reviews some of the main findings of the book, but takes a deeper look at stakeholder analysis.
Selenium Regulation of the Selenoprotein and Non-selenoprotein Transcriptomes in a Variety of Species

Selenium (Se) status regulates the expression of selenoproteins, not only by availability of Se for incorporation into these selenoproteins, but also by regulation of the selenoprotein transcriptome. Selenoprotein transcripts can be used as “molecular biomarkers” for assessment of Se deficiency in rodents, and we have expanded these studies to avian species and the nematode to better investigate the hierarchy of Se incorporation into selenoproteins. In addition, we are investigating the impact of high-Se levels on selenoprotein transcripts, and the impact of high-Se intake on the expression of non-selenoprotein transcripts. These studies indicate that increased reactive oxygen species are associated with Se deficiency and high-Se intake, and that panels of non-selenoprotein transcripts have potential as biomarkers of supranutritional and toxic-Se status.
Hispanic exconvicts’ perceptions of challenges and reintegration

Analyzing data collected from 17 Hispanic exconvicts, this study examined the challenges of postincarceration reintegration from the perspective of general strain theory. Our use of intensive inter...
Role of Zooplankton in Aquatic Ecosystems

Herbivory is an important process in planktonic ecosystems. Small, rapidly growing microalgae are nutritious and often poorly defended; herbivorous zooplankton populations can thus develop. These can remove a relatively great fraction of primary production. Feeding modes in the freshwater zooplankton include phagocytosis, filter feeding, and individual particle selection. Each of these modes has different relationships between the size of the predator and the size of the prey. Zooplankton are a trophic bridge between the remainder of the ecosystem. Herbivorous zooplankton in lakes sometimes greatly reduce the abundance of planktonic algae; this occurs regularly in late spring in many lakes, resulting in a several-week period called a clear water phase. It also occurs at times throughout the summertime in other habitats such as productive shallow lakes. Such high levels of herbivory also affect the penetration of heat and thus thermal stratification patterns. Zooplankton also play a role in recycling nutrients into the water column; these relations have a strong stoichiometric component because zooplankton species vary in their nutrient content, which affects their nutrient recycling patterns. The identity of an herbivore trophic level in lake ecosystems is apparent when we look at many studies involving how alterations in fish communities affect lake ecosystems.
Preoperative Interventions and Charges in the 2-Year Period Before Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty: What Happens Before Surgery.

Abstract Background This study investigated preoperative interventions and their costs in the 2-year period before a patient undergoing a unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). Methods A retrospective cohort analysis of patients undergoing UKA between 2009 and 2011 was conducted using the PearlDiver Patient Record Database to track inpatient and outpatient billing records. Results One thousand eight hundred forty-one patients from Medicare and 4704 patients from United Healthcare underwent UKA between 2009 and 2011. In the 2 years before UKA, the per patient average charge was $3919.96 for Medicare patients and $5219.14 for United Healthcare patients, with 21.7% of Medicare-associated charges and 28.2% of United Healthcare-associated charges occurring within 3 months of surgery. In the 2-year period before surgery, 65.5% of Medicare patients and 53.6% of United Healthcare patients received an intra-articular injection, with 29.1% (Medicare) and 46.0% (United Healthcare) of these injections occurring within 3 months of surgery. In addition, 15.1% of Medicare patients and 20.7% of United Healthcare patients underwent an arthroscopy, with between 32.4% and 43.8% of these occurring in the final 6 months before UKA. Conclusion Preoperative interventions (ie, imaging, procedures, physical therapy, and injections) occur at a high frequency in close proximity to UKA resulting in substantial costs. The development of algorithms to guide management of these patients is critical in reducing costs before UKA.
MCA-NN: Multiple Correspondence Analysis Based Neural Network for Disaster Information Detection

This paper proposes a semantic content analysis framework for reliable video event detection. In this work, we target to improve the concept detection results by feeding the learnt results from individual shallow learning models into a generic model to dig out of the similarities in deeper layers. Compared to the deep learning models, the shallow learning models are memorizing rather than understanding the features. The proposed framework tackles the issue in shallow learning by integrating the strength of Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) neural network. The low-level features are taken as the initial inputs for MCA-based models to abstract higher-level feature values. The output values further involve interaction in the neural network for better understanding. It earns the ability to put forward the arguments. The framework provides final decisions of video classifications by analyzing the decisions of every single frame from the network outputs.
The Simplified P3 Approximation

The simplified P{sub 3} (SP{sub 3}) approximation to the multigroup neutron transport equation in arbitrary geometries is derived using a variational analysis. This derivation yields the SP{sub 3} equations along with material interface and Marshak-like boundary conditions. The multigroup SP{sub 3} approximation is reformulated as a system of within-group problems that can be solved iteratively. An explicit iterative algorithm for solving the within-group problems that can be solved iteratively. An explicit iterative algorithm for solving the within-group problem is described. Fourier analyzed, and shown to be more efficient than the traditional FLIP implicit algorithm. Numerical results compare diffusion (P{sub 1}), simplified P{sub 2} (SP{sub 2}), and simplified P{sub 3} calculations of a mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel benchmark problem to a reference transport calculation. The SP{sub 3} approximation can eliminate much of the inaccuracy in the diffusion and SP{sub 2} calculations of MOX fuel problems.
The feasibility of an acute high-intensity exercise bout to promote locomotor learning after stroke.

AbstractBackground: People post-stroke can learn a novel locomotor task but require more practice to do so. Implementing an approach that can enhance locomotor learning may therefore improve post-stroke locomotor recovery. In healthy adults, an acute high-intensity exercise bout before or after a motor task may improve motor learning and has thus been suggested as a method that could be used to improve motor learning in neurorehabilitation. However, it is unclear whether an acute high-intensity exercise bout, which stroke survivors can feasibly complete in neurorehabilitation session, would generate comparable results.Objective: To determine a feasible, high-intensity exercise protocol that could be incorporated into a post-stroke neurorehabilitation session and would result in significant exercise-induced responses.Methods: Thirty-seven chronic stroke survivors participated. We allocated subjects to either a control (CON) or one of the exercise groups: treadmill walking (TMW), and total body exercise (TB...
Safety and Efficacy of Cyclosporine in Psoriatic Arthritis

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to review evidence for the efficacy and safety of cyclosporine therapy in patients with psoriatic arthritis.MethodsWe performed a systematic literature revie...
Situation analytics — at the dawn of a new software engineering paradigm

In this paper, I first review the seminal work by Thomas Kuhn — The Structure of Scientific Revolutions — and elaborate my view on paradigm shifts in software engineering research and practice as it turns 50 years old in 2018. I then examine major undertakings of the computing profession since early days of modern computing, especially those done by the software engineering community as a whole. I also enumerate anomalies and crises that occurred at various stages, and the attempts to provide solutions by the software engineering professionals in the past five decades. After providing such a background, I direct readers’ attention toward emerging anomalies in software engineering, at a severity level that is causing another software engineering crisis, and suggest a set of criteria for feasible solutions. The main theme of this paper is to advocate that situation analytics, equipped with necessary definitions of essential concepts including situation and intention as parts of a new computational framework, can serve as the foundation for a new software engineering paradigm named the Situation-Centric Paradigm. In this framework, situation is considered a new abstraction for computing and is clearly differentiated from the widely accepted existing abstractions, namely function and object. I argue that the software engineering professionals will inevitably move into this new paradigm, willingly or unwillingly, to empower Human-Embedded Computing (HEC) and End-User Embedded Computing (EUEC), much more than what they have done with traditional humancentered or user-centric computing altogether. In the end, I speculate that an ultimate agile method may be on the rise, and challenge readers to contemplate “what if” hundreds of thousands “end-user developers” emerge into the scene where the boundaries between end users and developers become much more blurred.
JSCore: architectural support for accelerating JavaScript execution (short WIP paper)

JavaScript has seen meteoric growth in popularity as it has in- creasingly become the language of choice for developers, both for front-end web development and server code development through various JavaScript frameworks and Node.js. Part of the reason for its wide use is that it is a prototype based language with dynamic types, making it easy to learn and program in. This flexibility and ease of programming comes at the cost of performance. There are two sources of significant slowdown. First, since the number and type of properties of prototypes is dynamic, accessing a property involves a slow dictionary lookup, as opposed to it being present at a fixed offset from the base address. Second, the dynamism in type of values necessitates wrapping and unwrapping of values into objects with a variety of checks including for type of the value. To mitigate these performance problems, this paper proposes JSCore, a core specialized for JavaScript execution, that vastly reduces the performance degradation due to the above two causes. It uses a hardware lookup table to accelerate property access, and extends the data path to store data types with the data, nearly eliminating the second source of slowdown. Combining the two, JSCore accelerates real world JavaScript applications by 23%.
Immunology of a persistent retrovirus infection--equine infectious anemia.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses immunology of a persistent retrovirus infection—equine infectious anemia. After infection with the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), most horses experience multiple episodes of pyrexia lasting a few days, accompanied by weight loss and anemia, interspersed with clinically normal periods of a few days to a few weeks. Horses that survive the early phases of the disease experience a gradual decline in the number of clinically apparent episodes until they are asymptomatic. Although infected horses do not eliminate the virus, levels in the blood and tissues vary markedly and are proportional to the severity of the clinical disease. As transmission is predominantly by biting insects, it is most likely to occur when viremia is high and least likely to occur during asymptomatic stages. Because EIAV is capable of integration into the host genome, it persists most prominently in latently infected cells unrecognized by the immune system.
Multi-hop communications in a swarm of UAVs

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are of increasing interest to researchers because of their diverse applications, such as military operations and search and rescue. The problem we have chosen to focus on is using a swarm of small, inexpensive UAVs to discover static targets in a search space. Though many different swarm models have been used for similar problems, our proposed model, the Icosystem Swarm Game, to our knowledge has not been evaluated for this particular problem of target search.Further, we propose to simulate the performance of this model in a semi-realistic communications environment. The challenge here is to find the optimal multi-hop configuration for the UAVs, so that they can find the most targets, avoid collision with each other as much as possible, and still communicate efficiently. We implement this through a weighted shortest-path problem using Dijkstra's algorithm, with the weights being the transmission cost over distance. Testing has shown that our multi-hop communications perform, in terms of target-finding and collision avoidance with other UAVs, as well as an idealized communications environment.
The role of endoscopic ultrasound for the evaluation and treatment of esophageal motility disorders

Abstract Esophageal motor disorders constitute a heterogeneous group of diseases that result in symptoms of dysphagia and chest pain. The primary diagnostic tool in the evaluation of patients with esophageal motor disorders is high resolution esophageal manometry. While manometric findings provide the sine qua non for the diagnosis of achalasia, they are limited in that they cannot provide meaningful anatomic correlates. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has a key role in the evaluation of patients with esophageal motor disorders. Both probe-based ultrasound systems and echoendoscopes can provide high resolution imaging of the esophageal wall and surrounding structures. Due to a variety of factors, EUS has demonstrated clear variability in esophageal and muscle thickness. This may also reflect further anatomic heterogeneity among esophageal motor disorders. The benefit of EUS in the evaluation of alternative causes for outflow obstruction and pseudoachalasia is clear and should be considered in patients with atypical presentations. Novel indications for EUS include advanced imaging techniques and EUS directed treatments to the lower esophageal sphincter. EUS alone is not a replacement for standard diagnostic tests, it remains a helpful tool in the overall management of patients with esophageal motor disorders.
Improving face representation learning with center invariant loss

Abstract In this paper, we address on the deep face representation learning with imbalanced data. With a large number of available face images of different people for training, Convolutional Neural Networks could learn deep face representation through classifying these people. However, uniformed distributed data for all people are hard to get. Some people come with more images but some come with less. In learning the deep face representation, the imbalanced images between people introduce the bias towards these people that have more images. Existing methods focus on the intra-class and inter-class variations but not well address the imbalanced data problem. To generate a robust and discriminative face representation for all people, we propose a center invariant loss which adds penalty to the differences between each center of classes. The center invariant loss could align the center of each person to the mean of all centers, which could force the deeply learned face features to have a good representation for all people with better generalization ability. Extensive experiments well demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Many existing methods in learning deep face representation are further improved after adding the proposed center invariant loss.
Koreagate, Abscam, and Iran-Contra

The first three “scandals” to follow Watergate are discussed in this chapter. Using summaries of the bad behavior by government officials the chapter examines whether or not these behaviors meet our criteria for scandals (they do not), yet they do get some credit for their crossover to pop culture. Koreagate is the first time the “gate” suffix is used on a national scandal and Abscam, many years later, gets its own movie—American Hustle.
Collaborative Learning of Hierarchical Task Networks from Demonstration and Instruction

In this work, we focus on advancing the state of the art in intelligent agents that can learn complex procedural tasks from humans. Our main innovation is to view the interaction between the human and the robot as a mixed- initiative collaboration. Our contribution is to integrate hierarchical task networks and collaborative discourse theory into the learning from demonstration paradigm to enable robots to learn complex tasks in collaboration with the human teacher.
Historical Perspective: History of the Surgical Management of Achalasia

Achalasia is a primary motility disorder of the esophagus with an incidence of 1 in 100,000 annually. It is best characterized by the existence of both: absence of esophageal peristalsis and failure of relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). This is a progressive disease that if left untreated can evolve to a completely nonfunctional megaesophagus. Over the past century, the development of fluoroscopy, flexible endoscopy, and more recently high-resolution manometry have transformed our understanding of achalasia. The introduction of minimally invasive surgery for achalasia in 1991 and the recent introduction of POEM (Per Oral Endoscopic Myotomy) in 2009 have revolutionized the treatment of achalasia and are now the most commonly utilized therapeutic modalities. Furthermore, in the digital era, patients with rare diseases commonly seek information about their condition and direct their own care. Therefore, patients, who in the past might have been told to have pneumatic dilations instead of invasive abdominal or thoracic surgery, now actively seek – often by Internet searches – minimally invasive surgical or endoscopic treatment for their disease.
Qatar looks to the future

The small desert nation of Qatar underwent a crisis on 5 June 2017. Neighboring countries imposed a blockade that turned it into a virtual island, surrounded on three sides by water and on one side by hostile territory, isolating it politically and eliminating the transport lines that previously supplied 80% of its food. Qatar9s response has been to develop domestic resources and consolidate its national identity. The 28 March opening of the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) in the capital city, Doha, served as a defiant celebration of that identity as an open Muslim society.
Illustrations of Maxwell's term and the four conservation laws of electromagnetism

We illustrate the use of Maxwell's term in Ampere's law and also the conservation laws of electromagnetic theory. First, we outline the conservation laws for energy and linear momentum which often appear in textbooks of electromagnetism, and then we show how these conservation laws can be extended to the conservation law for angular momentum and to the relativistic conservation law involving the center of energy. Next we treat the traditional example of charging a parallel-plate capacitor but explore a number of energy-conservation aspects and variations which are not usually found in textbooks. Finally, we discuss the charging of spherical conductors where we can illustrate the use of Maxwell's term and can provide non-trivial examples of three of the four conservation laws.
Kidney transplant in multiple myeloma, the challenges, and potentials:

Kidney failure is a common sequela of multiple myeloma. Tremendous progress in this disease over the past two decades has resulted in more than doubling of the median survival. Despite that, patien...
Dependence of radiomics features on CT image acquisition and reconstruction parameters using a cadaveric liver

Studies investigating variations in radiomic features due to changes in image acquisition and reconstruction parameters have focused on non-human phantoms to limit the exposure to human subjects. This study investigated such variations in the computed tomography (CT) scans of a cadaveric human liver. A reference CT scan of a normal cadaveric liver and 16 modified scans were acquired with one parameter changed from the reference for each modified scan: two iterative reconstruction strength levels, one reconstruction kernel, one slice thickness, one coronal view, one sagittal view, one field of view (FOV), two pitch levels, one slice interval, two CTDIvol levels, three kV settings, and one scan acquired using a scanner from another manufacturer. The liver was segmented in each scan, and 142 radiomic features were calculated on each slice across all scans. Unpaired Student’s t-tests assessed significant differences in feature distributions between reference and modified scans for all features after correcting for multiple comparisons (p<0.0004). Assessments were repeated after normalizing pixel value histograms for each scan. Variations in tube voltage, pitch, and slice interval resulted in the smallest number of features reflecting significant differences. Variations in FOV and scan orientation resulted in the largest number of features reflecting significant differences. Fractal features were relatively robust to differences among parameters, while first-order features were sensitive to these differences by comparison. After normalization, first-order features improved agreement between modified and reference scans, while higher-order features were not greatly affected.
Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis: Need for Continuous Assessment Due to Changes in Risk During the Same Hospitalization

Abstract Objective To explore the role of venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk reassessment in hospitalized medically ill patients without a change in level of care. Patients and Methods In this exploratory retrospective study, the medical records of 171 consecutive adult patients (≥18 years) hospitalized under the medicine service for more than 3 days without a change in the level of care from January 1, 2015, to March 1, 2015, were reviewed. The primary outcome was a change in the risk score between day 1 and day 3 of hospital stay (using the Padua Prediction Score). The secondary outcomes were changes in risk stratification class (low vs high) and cost-benefit analysis. Results The risk score was significantly different between day 1 and day 3 (4.7±1.7 vs 4.2±1.8; P=.008). All the patients with low risk on day 1 remained at low risk on day 3. However, 25 of 136 patients (18.4%) with high risk on day 1 were reclassified as low risk on day 3 (P Conclusion This is the first study to suggest the need for regular assessment for VTE risk on medicine wards because of changing patient risk. Regular reassessment could reduce health care waste and patient discomfort.
Spectroscopic Signatures Reveal Cyclopentenyl Cation Contributions in Methanol-to-Olefins Catalysis

The conversion of methanol to olefins on zeolites and zeotypes is an industrially important process, yet the mechanistic details remain unresolved. Various cyclic alkenyl and alkadienyl carbenium i...
Stock Selection Strategy Based on Random Forest and Support Vector Machine

The stock market is a complex system affected by information from multiple parties. The movement of the stock market is even more difficult to predict due to its high instability. Faced with a large amount of stock market information, investors usually hope to use their known historical information to predict the future market ups and downs in some way, so as to apply them to investment and obtain excess returns. Improving the accuracy and income of stock selection is the main purpose of quantitative investment. The historical data of Shanghai stock 50 index and component stocks from 2012 to 2019 were used to show the daily rise and fall. Then, a quantitative stock selection strategy with random forest and support vector machine as the core of stock selection was constructed. The strategy can continuously obtain positive returns in the stock market. Several indicators were used as the index to evaluate the model, mainly including annualized return, information ratio, maximum drawdown, sharp ratio, etc. Combining the important technical indicators of these two models, we tried to find the most suitable choice for people and help investors maximize their interests. The return of support vector machine rises steadily in the whole year, which shows the stock selection strategy based on SVM is more accurate than random forest method. This also can help avoid missed opportunities due to the weakness of people's thinking.
Neurosurgeons perspective on the shift towards earlier use of deep brain stimulation for Parkinson disease

Abstract Background The US Food and Drug Administration approved in 2015 the use of deep brain stimulation for Parkinson disease after “four years duration and with recent onset of motor complications”. The aim of this study was to identify neurosurgeons’ attitudes and perspectives around the use of deep brain stimulation for Parkinson disease earlier in the disease course. Methods An anonymous survey examining attitudes and perceptions towards deep brain stimulation practice and timing in Parkinson disease was developed by the study team and distributed by the American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgeons to its members. Results from 32 subjects with answers to at least 50% of the survey were included. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and chi-square test. Results Motor fluctuations, dyskinesia, quality of life impairment, and medically refractory tremor were the most important reasons to proceed with deep brain stimulation, which was overall considered more useful after the onset of motor symptoms. Unresponsiveness to levodopa, cognitive impairment, and unclear diagnosis were important reasons not to consider deep brain stimulation. Earlier surgery was considered to be less risky compared to later in the disease progression. Ten out of 25 neurosurgeons reported considering deep brain stimulation as a therapeutic option after a minimum disease duration of three to four years. Conclusions We conclude that neurosurgeons support the use of earlier deep brain stimulation, but not preceding motor complications. Further research surrounding the benefits and adverse effects of earlier deep brain stimulation is needed to guide practice and better inform potential candidates.
PthAW1, a transcription activator-like effector of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, promotes host specific immune responses.

Citrus canker disease caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri is one of the most destructive diseases in citrus. X. citri subsp. citri pathotypes display different host ranges. X. citri subsp. cit...
Influence network design via multi-level optimization considering boundedly rational user behaviours in social media networks

Social media networks have been playing an increasingly more important role for both socialization and information diffusion. Political campaign can gain more supporters by attracting more mass attention and influencing them directly, while commercial campaigns can increase their companies’ profits by expanding social media connection with new users. To build the optimal network structure to influence the whole, this paper studies mathematical models to simulate the users’ behaviours interacting with others in the information provider’s network. The behaviours of concerns include information re-posting and following/unfollowing other users. Linear threshold propagation model is used to determine the re-posting actions, Boundedly Rational User Equilibrium (BRUE) models are used to determine the following or unfollowing actions. Hence, the topology of the network changes and depends on the information provider’s plan to post various kinds of information. A three-level optimization model is proposed to maximize total number of connections, the goal of the top level. The second level simulates user behaviours under BRUE. The third level maximizes the each user’s utility defined in the second level. This paper solves this problem using exact algorithms for a small-scale synthetic network. For a large-scale problem, this paper uses heuristic algorithms based on large neighbourhood search. This paper also discusses possible reasons why the BRUE model may be a more accurate simulation of users’ actions compared to game theory. Comparisons from the BRUE model to game theoretical model show that the BRUE model performs significantly better than game theoretical model.
Effects of Hybrid Flow Control on a Normal Shock Boundary-Layer Interaction

Hybrid flow control, a combination of micro-ramps and steady micro-jets, was experimentally investigated in the 15x15 cm Supersonic Wind Tunnel at the NASA Glenn Research Center. A central composite design of experiments method, was used to develop response surfaces for boundary-layer thickness and reversed-flow thickness, with factor variables of inter-ramp spacing, ramp height and chord length, and flow injection ratio. Boundary-layer measurements and wall static pressure data were used to understand flow separation characteristics. A limited number of profiles were measured in the corners of the tunnel to aid in understanding the three-dimensional characteristics of the flowfield.
A Systems Model for Authentic Pedagogy: Conceptualizing a Scaleable, University-wide Production Curriculum

A systems curriculum model of authentic pedagogy for universities is proposed which expands the “big picture” of selected courses to the level of an articulated system. This authentic system simultaneously articulates a selection of multiple courses across multiple academic departments and multiple semesters to a common goal: the authentic production of a digital technology product.