cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The tale of infective endocarditis: fatal then curable but rarely preventable.

Abstract: The story of infective endocarditis (IE) is a miracle of medical progress. In retrospect, it seems as a logical and orderly progression of remarkable events leading to the nearly complete conquest of the disease. IE was almost uniformly fatal until the 1st cures by surgery, followed by frequent cures with antibiotics, further improved when combined with valve surgery. Most recently, it has become almost a new disease with a change in the offending organisms, a change in the type of afflicted patients and the infection of implanted medical devices. Despite therapeutic success, prevention of IE has been elusive. In this review, the authors tell the story by highlighting major events, illustrating interconnections among branches of science that brought the authors to their present state and describing some well-known patients. For this summary, the authors are indebted to the more detailed descriptions of the IE history readily available for interested readers.
(How) is AI impacting manufacturing? a panel

Manufacturing research is broadly concerned with tasks performed throughout the product manufacturing life cycle: • Design, • Planning, • Production, • Distribution, • Field Service, and • Reclamation. Decision making at each stage requires creativity, the ability to deal with complexity and coordination with other activities in the cycle. As such, manufacturing represents a fertile domain in which to apply Artificial Intelligence.
Deep tissue targeted near-infrared optogenetic stimulation using fully implantable upconverting light bulbs

We demonstrate for the first time, the possibility of targeted optogenetic stimulation of neurons deep into brain tissue (>2 mm) in a minimally-invasive way by sending near-infrared light through tissue to excite passive lanthanide-doped blue-emitting upconverting nanocrystals (UCNPs) encapsulated in Parylene C microstructure light bulbs that emit visible (blue) light and locally excite opsins with high spatial resolution.
Advances in the Development and Validation of Test Methods in the United States

The National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM) provides validation support for US Federal agencies and the US Tox21 interagency consortium, an interagency collaboration that is using high throughput screening (HTS) and other advanced approaches to better understand and predict chemical hazards to humans and the environment. The use of HTS data from assays relevant to the estrogen receptor signaling data pathway is used as an example of how HTS data can be combined with computational modeling to meet the needs of US agencies. As brief summary of US efforts in the areas of biologics testing, acute toxicity, and skin sensitization will also be provided.
Inactivation of herpes simplex virus with methylene blue, light, and electricity.

SummaryA modification of photodynamic inactivation for herpes simplex viruses has been developed. Low concentrations of methylene blue, when electrically reduced in the presence of HSV, and irradiated with visible light, result in an efficient loss of plaque-forming ability. The antiviral effect is dependent upon the amount of electricity applied and the concentration of dye. Superoxide anion is an important intermediate since the photodynamic inactivation is partially inhibited by superoxide dismutase.
Systematic Review of EBPs for SMI in Rural America

This systematic review of the implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for adults with severe mental illnesses (SMI) in rural mental health settings examined peer-reviewed literature, grey literature, and public information. Included articles had to report implementation efforts of EBP(s) for SMI in rural settings or adaptations for rural service delivery. Only three peer-reviewed articles and two publicly available reports met inclusion criteria. Findings suggest little attention is focused on studying factors affecting implementation of EBPs for SMI in rural areas. Adaptations are occurring in rural settings, though rarely documented or tested; their impact on fidelity and consumer outcomes is unclear.
Progression of changes in gastric emptying of hypertonic liquids after proximal gastric vagotomy. An experimental study.

Gastric emptying rates of hypertonic (10%) dextrose liquid meals were studied in five dogs before, and 3, 6, and 12 months after proximal gastric vagotomy (PGV) without drainage. The purpose of this study was to determine if operation-related changes in emptying rates normalized or became more disparate during the year after PGV. An increased rate of emptying during the first 5 min after ingestion was seen at 3 months after PGV, which significantly increased (P<0.025) after 6 and 12 months. The remainder of the meal after PGV emptied at a regulated exponential rate unchanged throughout the postoperative year from its preoperative rate. Total volumes of gastric aspirate at four intervals after meal ingestion did not significantly change across the four test periods in respect to endogenous secretion or pH acidity.
Mexican Bean Beetle (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) Larval Parasite Pediobius foveolatus (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) from Japan: Field Release in the United States

A Japanese race of the parasite Pediobius foveolatus (Crawford), with its origin in Okayama Prefecture, Honshu, was released in 1980 against the Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis Mulsant, at 43 sites (31 in Indiana) in eight U.S. midwestern states to test for parasite overwintering. Post-release reproduction was confirmed at 19 sites in six states. However, in 1981, there was no evidence of successful parasite overwintering. This was attributed to the unavailability of suitable host stages or inability of adults to survive the winter months.
Effects of chlorine and alkali chlorides on corrosion of silicon carbide based ceramics in combustion environments

Silicon carbide based engineering ceramics are used in high temperature furnaces as structural and heat exchanger components. Chlorine or alkali chloride contamination may be present in waste incineration or chemical treatment environments in such furnaces. The effects of these contaminants on the corrosion and oxidation resistance of silicon carbide based ceramics is discussed from the standpoint of understanding the chemical mechanisms of attack and predicting the conditions under which unacceptable degradation can occur.
Initial Experimental Design Methodology Incorporating Expert Conjecture, Prior Data, and Engineering Models for Deposition of Iridium Nanoparticles in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

The study and optimization of nanofabrication techniques in nanotechnology research is often challenging because experiments are costly to conduct in terms of time and money. In particular, for a new system that has not been previously studied at length, it is a challenge to efficiently plan the first round of experiments in the region of interest near the process optimum, and there may be multiple process inputs that must be optimized simultaneously. A purely statistical approach to this challenge would apply a space-filling experimental design, or, alternatively, domain knowledge could be applied to guide the experimental design. However, both of these approaches may waste precious resources by failing to sample efficiently near the desired process output. In this work, a novel technique termed “initial experimental design” (IED) is applied to combine the statistical and experimental approaches for planning the initial round of experiments for a new system that is related to a similar but nonidentical e...
Racial Microaggressions in the Workplace: A Critical Race Analysis of the Experiences of African American Educators.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of racial microaggressions, racial/ethnic identity, and coping, as they relate to job satisfaction. We found that the experiencing of racial micr...
The inherence heuristic: An intuitive means of making sense of the world, and a potential precursor to psychological essentialism

We propose that human reasoning relies on an inherence heuristic, an implicit cognitive process that leads people to explain observed patterns (e.g., girls wear pink) predominantly in terms of the inherent features of their constituents (e.g., pink is a delicate color). We then demonstrate how this proposed heuristic can provide a unified account for a broad set of findings spanning areas of research that might at first appear unrelated (e.g., system justification, nominal realism, is–ought errors in moral reasoning). By revealing the deep commonalities among the diverse phenomena that fall under its scope, our account is able to generate new insights into these phenomena, as well as new empirical predictions. A second main goal of this article, aside from introducing the inherence heuristic, is to articulate the proposal that the heuristic serves as a foundation for the development of psychological essentialism. More specifically, we propose that essentialism – which is the common belief that natural and social categories are underlain by hidden, causally powerful essences – emerges over the first few years of life as an elaboration of the earlier, and more open-ended, intuitions supplied by the inherence heuristic. In the final part of the report, we distinguish our proposal from competing accounts (e.g., Strevens's K-laws) and clarify the relationship between the inherence heuristic and related cognitive tendencies (e.g., the correspondence bias). In sum, this article illuminates a basic cognitive process that emerges early in life and is likely to have profound effects on many aspects of human psychology.
The African Human Rights System

The contemporary regional human rights regime in Africa is implemented by three existing institutions: the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights ("Commission")(1986), the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights ("ACHPR")(2004), and the African Court of Justice ("ACJ")(2009). The ACHPR's jurisdiction extends to "all cases and disputes submitted to it concerning the interpretation and application of the Charter, Protocol and any other relevant Human Rights instrument ratified by the States concerned." The Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU), which entered into force in 2001, called for the creation of a Court of Justice of the Union. Intending to make efficient use of limited resources and avoid potential overlap between the ACHPR and ACJ, the AU Assembly decided to merge the two institutions into a single judicial organ of the African Union with the Protocol on the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights ("ACJHR Statute"). Keywords:ACHPR; ACJ; ACJHR; AU; Human rights
Altered premotor cortical oscillations during repetitive movement in persons with Parkinson's disease

Premotor areas play a critical role in the control of repetitive movements. While research has shown that movement-related oscillations are abnormal during repetitive movements in persons with Parkinson's disease (PD), there is limited research examining the contribution of premotor areas, such as the contralateral dorsal premotor area (PMd) and supplementary motor area (SMA), to this impairment. This study compared movement-related oscillations over premotor regions between participants with PD and control participants. Nine participants with PD off and on medication and nine matched control participants were studied. Participants performed cued index finger movements. Spectral power was derived from electroencephalographic recordings from electrodes FC3/FC4 and Cz over the regions of the contralateral PMd and SMA respectively. Movement-related alpha and beta band oscillations were suppressed over electrode FC3/FC4 (contralateral PMd) in participants with PD, particularly at higher movement rates, in both the off and on medication conditions compared to control subjects. The pattern of movement-related oscillations recorded from Cz (SMA) was similar between PD and control groups. This would suggest that the region of the contralateral PMd may be preferentially involved with the control of externally cued repetitive movements and that changes in this activity may contribute to the deterioration of repetitive finger movements at higher rates in persons with PD.
Switching from prasugrel to clopidogrel: navigating in unknown waters

Dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and a P2Y12 receptor antagonist is the cornerstone of treatment to prevent recurrent atherothrombotic events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) ([1][1]). Clopidogrel is the most widely used
Three-Dimensional Super-Resolution Motion-Corrected MRI of the Fetal Posterior Fossa (P3.262)

OBJECTIVE: To validate a novel technique, 3D Super-Resolution Motion-Corrected MRI, for analyzing the fetal posterior fossa (PF). We hypothesized that linear measurements of key structures in the PF are concordant in 2D conventional and 3D reconstructed images. We further hypothesized that 3D reconstructions are more reliable when the transcerebellar diameter is measured in orthogonal planes. BACKGROUND: Current diagnosis of PF anomalies by conventional MRI is limited by fetal position, motion, and by 2D, rather than 3D representation. Diagnoses of fetal PF anomalies are thus primarily qualitative and subject to inter-expert variations in opinion. Additionally, the long diameter of the fetal cerebellum should measure the same if assessed in either axial or coronal planes, but this is often not the case in conventional fetal MRI. This has led to difficulties in standardizing certain fetal measurements on prenatal imaging. DESIGN/METHODS: From a database of pregnant women who received fetal MRIs at our institution, images of 49 fetal brains between 19-38 weeks gestation were reconstructed. Six PF structures were measured on 2D conventional and 3D reconstructed images, and agreement between methods was determined using concordance correlation coefficients (CCC). Agreement between orthogonal measurements of the transcerebellar diameter was also compared between the two methods using CCC. RESULTS: The CCC of each measurement was high (p<0.001) for all structures measured in both 2D conventional and 3D reconstructed images. Between axial and coronal measurements of the transcerebellar diameter, 3D reconstructed images outperformed 2D conventional images (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study validates 3D Super-Resolution Motion-Corrected MRI for imaging the fetal PF. Measurements of the transcerebellar diameter within a 3D reconstruction are more concordant between imaging planes, as they correct for fetal motion and orthogonal slice acquisition. This technique will facilitate further study of early fetal abnormalities of the PF. Study Supported by: NIH R25-3R25NS070682, R01-EB013248, and R01-EB018988. Disclosure: Dr. Pier has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gholipour has nothing to disclose. Dr. Afacan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Velasco-Annis has nothing to disclose. Dr. Clancy has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kapur has nothing to disclose. Dr. Estroff has nothing to disclose. Dr. Warfield has nothing to disclose.
Fully-integrated amplifier feedback linearization design analysis

In this paper, the design of a fully-integrated amplifier feedback linearization is presented. Simulation results have yielded a peak S21 power gain of 10.3 dB and a unity gain bandwidth of 16 GHz with better than −10 dB S11. The simulation results show a 7 dB IIP3 improvement and IM3 improvement of 18 dBc at output power of −10 dBm. Using derivative superposition improves the feedback amplifier broadband linearity and in turn improves its dynamic range. The proposed fully-integrated amplifier feedback linearization was designed using the 0.13μm CMOS technology.
Pediatric neuroendocrine carcinoid tumors: Management, pathology, and imaging findings in a pediatric referral center

Background While neuroendocrine (carcinoid) tumors are increasingly recognized in the adult population, they are often not suspected in children. Procedure Retrospective review of all well-differentiated neuroendocrine (carcinoid) tumors was performed based on pathology reports from a quaternary pediatric medical center between January 2003 and June 2016. Clinical presentations, treatment approaches, imaging findings, and outcomes were reviewed and analyzed. Results A total of 45 cases of pathology-proven carcinoid tumor were reported with an average age of 14.1 years (range: 7–21 years, SD: 2.8 years). Of these cases, 80% (36) were appendiceal, 11% (5) bronchial, 2% (1) colonic, 2% (1) gastric, 2% (1) enteric, and 2% (1) testicular. Metastases were observed in one (3%) appendiceal, one (100%) enteric, and two (40%) bronchial cases. No recurrence was demonstrated in any appendiceal carcinoid cases. Recurrence was seen in one of three extra-appendiceal gastrointestinal tumors. Tumor site and size significantly correlated with metastases and recurrence. Conclusions Contrary to recent epidemiological investigations in adults, appendiceal carcinoid tumors remain the most common site for pediatric carcinoid tumors. Appendiceal carcinoid tumors exhibited benign clinical courses without recurrence during short-term follow-up. Extra-appendiceal gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors exhibited much more aggressive behavior with greater metastases and recurrence. Bronchial carcinoid tumors demonstrated good clinical response to resection even in cases with mediastinal lymph node involvement. While increased use of urine 5-HIAA levels and somatostatin receptor-specific imaging might improve detection and guide management of extra-appendiceal carcinoid tumors, longer-term follow-up is needed.
Cultural Considerations and Tools for Treating Chronic Pain Among Hispanics/Latinos

Chronic pain affects approximately one-third of the US population and is associated with high medical costs and functional disability and is often comorbid with mental disorders. Hispanics/Latinos experience chronic pain at rates similar to other racial and ethnic groups but tend to disclose pain and seek treatment less due to cultural beliefs about pain and medicine. As a result, Hispanics/Latinos are more prone to overactivity and being undertreated, which perpetuates chronic pain and disability. Traditional beliefs about pain are more common among Hispanics/Latinos who are less acculturated, such as those who speak Spanish as their primary language. This chapter begins by outlining these cultural factors and beliefs related to pain in Hispanics/Latinos and their implications for tailoring empirically supported treatments for chronic pain. A set of treatment tools, including handouts and worksheets, are provided in Spanish with relevant cultural modifications based on cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain (CBT-CP) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Special emphasis is placed on values clarification, active acceptance vs. passive resignation, medical treatment utilization, pacing, perspective taking, and seeking social support while simultaneously accommodating Hispanic/Latino cultural considerations. A session timeline and treatment plan are provided to guide the clinician through each session’s content and specify timing of treatment tools.
Nanoparticles in thermosensitive gel based composite nanosystem for ocular diseases.

The pentablock (PB) copolymers based composite nanosystems were designed to provide a long-term delivery of macromolecules to the back of the eye. A unique arrangement of each block (polyethylene glycol, polylactic acid, and polycaprolactone) with various molecular weights (PB-A and PB-B) was selected for the synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) and thermosensitive gel (PB-C) by sequential ring-opening bulk copolymerization reaction. PB copolymers were characterized for their molecular weight and purity by 1H-NMR spectroscopy and crystallinity by PXRD. The macromolecule model drugs [lysozyme (Lyz ~ 14.5 kDa), IgG-Fab (~ 50 kDa), and IgG (~ 150 kDa)] were selected to delineate the effect of molecular weights on in vitro release profile of nanoformulations. Lyz-, Fab-, and IgG-encapsulated NPs were prepared by double emulsion solvent evaporation method. The entrapment efficiency (EE%) and drug loading (DL%) of macromolecules was higher for PB-B copolymers due to its higher molecular weight and hydrophobicity compare to PB-A. The particle size range of NPs was ~ 200-270 nm. In vitro release profiles of Lyz-, Fab-, and IgG-encapsulated in NPs alone and NPs suspended in gel (composite nanosystem) demonstrated a minimal burst release and drug release over a long period. The effect of hydrodynamic diameter of macromolecules and hydrophobicity of PB copolymers was investigated on the release profile of nanosystems. In vitro biocompatibility study showed negligible cytokine (IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α) release, which confirmed the safety of the PB copolymers. Based on the results, it is anticipated that long-term ocular delivery of macromolecules can be achieved through composite nanosystems.
Distributed Energy Management for Networked Microgrids Using Online ADMM With Regret

We propose a distributed algorithm for online energy management in networked microgrids with a high penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs). A high penetration of DERs introduces high uncertainty of power generation to the microgrids. In general, the state-of-the-art forecasting for non-dispatchable DERs such as solar energy is not sufficiently accurate, which results in inaccurate energy scheduling. To address the high uncertainty issue in the networked microgrids, we propose an online energy management based on the online alternating direction method of multipliers algorithm with the past power generation information from the DERs. The online algorithm provides less conservative schedule than the robust optimization-based approach. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified by various numerical examples.
Out of the Straitjacket

Out of the Straitjacket I see him, maybe not so clearly. He is in isolation, in a straitjacket. He’s just been committed, given a shot of haloperidol after he resisted going to the locked ward. He kicked, screamed, yelled, threatened…and now he cries.
Reformadores antes que marxistas. Henry M. Hyndman y Henry George: dos biografías intelectuales durante la década prodigiosa del socialismo inglés (1880-1890)

El trabajo toma como pretexto dos biografias politicas que sintetizan el debate intelectual sobre el futuro del socialismo ingles durante el siglo xix, para revisar un periodo que se extiende desde la emergencia del primer partido que se autodenomina a si mismo «socialista» (1881) hasta la publicacion de los Fabian Essays (1889), cuando las ideas colectivistas provocan un cambio generacional en la Sociedad Fabiana que sera determinante para comprender la posterior aparicion del Partido Laborista. Concluimos que la tradicion del socialismo ingles no descansa unicamente en su apuesta por la determinacion de las relaciones de produccion en las decisiones politicas, sino en la defensa de un conjunto de valores que no son exclusivos de una tradicion ideologica, sino que se presentan —al menos en alguna forma o grado— entrelazados y dispersos por el ambiente intelectual de este periodo.
Rapid Growth Responses in the Avena Coleoptile: A Comparison of the Action of Hydrogen Ions, CO2, and Auxin

The ability of auxin to induce rapid cell elongation is well known, and it is often believed that auxins are the only compounds capable of causing a rapid growth response. Often overlooked is the fact that two other agents, CO2 and hydrogen ions, can also induce a limited amount of rapid elongation (Harrison, 1965; Bonner, 1934). Until recently these responses received little attention because of the lack of suitable methods for continuously monitoring extension, but the advent of such techniques (Ray and Ruesink, 1962; Evans and Ray, 1969) has changed this situation. Studies on these two responses have recently been initiated (Rayle and Cleland, 1970; Rayle et al, 1970; Evans et al, 1970) with the hope that they might provide us with a clue as to how rapid cell elongation is regulated.
Isolation of Melanoma Tumor-Initiating Cells from Surgical Tissues

A new model of cancer progression has been put forward that predicts existence of tumor stem cells (TSCs) in the heterogeneous bulk tumor mass that self-renew, are resistant to chemo- and radiotherapies, and sustain tumor growth during the course of its progression or relapse ( Ailles and Weissman, Curr Opin Biotechnol 18:460–466, 2007; Chan et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106:14016–14021, 2009; D’Angelo and Wicha, Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci 95:113–158, 2010; O’Brien, Semin Radiat Oncol 19:71–77, 2009; Park et al., Mol Ther 17:219–230, 2009). Using most advanced methods of cell purification and transplantation, our laboratory and another independent study identified melanoma stem cells as CD271(NFGR/p75)+ cells from surgical human specimens (Boiko et al., Nature 466:133–137, 2010; Civenni et al., Cancer Res 71:3098–3109, 2011). Here we describe in great detail an approach for isolating tumor-initiating cells from freshly resected melanomas.
Is the ADA Efficient

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a significant legal intervention designed to improve outcomes for people with disabilities. In this article, I use an informal model of worker-firm matching as an organizing framework to explore the economic effects of disability discrimination law in the workplace. The framework shows how the presence of individuals with disabilities in the labor market creates precisely the conditions - incomplete and asymmetric information - that can lead to inefficient mismatching, "employee churning," and "scarring." In contrast to the conclusions of more conventional economic analyses, I argue that the statutory duty of reasonable accommodation promotes labor market efficiency by combating churning and scarring. The duty to accommodate constrains employers whose private gains from discharging disabled employees often produce social losses which are borne by other employers and by public disability insurance schemes. The framework thus sheds new light on how disability discrimination law influences labor market efficiency. It is important to remember that arguments based on distributive justice and the dignitary interests of people with disabilities have always been - and will no doubt remain - a critical part of the policy debate. Nevertheless, an efficiency defense of accommodation mandates bolsters these non-economic arguments offered in support of the ADA. It also challenges the conventional conclusion that a statutory duty of accommodation most closely resembles an implicit tax and transfer scheme with purely redistributive effects. My analysis of comparative accommodation costs also illustrates some areas of tension between dignitary and efficiency approaches to accommodation. We can pursue complete freedom of choice for individuals with disabilities only if we are willing to compromise significantly the economic objective of matching. By identifying more clearly the diverse ways in which accommodation promotes both economic and non-economic goals, we can hope that legal doctrine will tend to express a more orderly balancing of these values.
Arc Melting of Titanium Metal

An automatic, continuous casting arc furnace employing a nonconsumable electrode and a direct current arc has been constructed and operated successfully for titanium. A comparison of the properties of arc and induction-melted titanium indicates that where high ductility, formability, and toughness are required, arc-melted metal is preferable.
Justification, Discovery, Reason & Argument

In distinguishing justification from discovery, the logical empiricists hoped to avoid confusing causal matters with normative ones. Exaggerating the virtue of this distinction, however, has disguised from us important features of the concept of a reason as it functions in human practice. Surfacing those features gives some insight into reasoning and argument.
Self-efficacy does not appear to mediate training’s effect on performance based on the moderation-of-process design

ABSTRACTResearchers in the area of training and motivation have concluded that training causes improvements in performance partially via training’s influence on self-efficacy. A set of studies employing a moderation-of-process design contradicts this conclusion. Specifically, when two groups of trainees did not know their performance was increasing during training, their self-efficacy did not increase. Two other groups were able to observe improving performance, which enhanced self-efficacy. However, both groups in both studies exhibited equal improvement in performance. This effect was shown in two contexts: training on a physical task and training on a cognitive task. These results demonstrate that self-efficacy might not always play a causal role in determining training’s influence. The studies highlight the value of a rarely used moderation-of-process method for assessing mediation.
The efficacy of neutron radiation therapy in treating salivary gland malignancies.

Abstract Objectives Radiation therapy is commonly used to treat head and neck malignancies. While there is abundant research regarding photon radiation therapy, literature on neutron radiotherapy (NRT) and oral complications is limited. This study aims to determine: (1) the 6-year and 10-year locoregional control and survival rates, (2) factors associated with locoregional control and survival and (3) the frequency of oral complications in patients undergoing NRT for salivary gland malignancies. Materials and methods This is a retrospective cohort study. The sample was composed of patients with salivary gland malignancies treated with NRT between 1997 and 2010. Data were extracted from patient charts, telephone surveys, and social security records. Multivariate competing risk and Cox regression models were used to assess predictors of locoregional control and survival. Results The sample was composed of 545 subjects with a mean age of 54.2 years (±16). The predominant tumor and location were adenoid cystic carcinoma (47%) and the parotid (56%). Multivariate analysis indicated that positive surgical margins, biopsied/inoperable malignancies, neck involvement, and lymphovascular invasion were prognostic risk factors associated with decreased survival. The 6- and 10-year locoregional control rates were 84% and 79%. The 6- and 10-year survival rates were 72% and 62%. Osteoradionecrosis developed in 3.4% of subjects. Conclusions The 6- and 10-year locoregional control and survival rates compare favorably to rates reported for conventional photon radiation. Osteoradionecrosis rates were comparable to that of photon radiation treatment (2–7%). Given the potential benefits of NRT, healthcare professionals should be educated regarding its indications and oral complications.
Test-retest variability for quantitative two-dimensional and Doppler measurements in the fetus.

Objectives Echocardiography is used to quantitatively characterize cardiovascular function in fetuses with cardiac abnormalities and inform decisions for fetal or perinatal interventions. It is clinically important to understand the reproducibility of these measures, particularly between testers. While studies have reported intra-observer variability and inter-observer variability, little is known about test-retest variability for these measures. We hypothesized that even in a high volume echocardiography laboratory, quantitative measurements will demonstrate higher test-retest variability compared with inter-observer variability and intra-observer variability of the same measurements. Methods Prospective study of uncomplicated, singleton pregnancies to evaluate fetal measures of cardiovascular function obtained by echocardiography. One sonographer obtained predefined variables, and then, a second sonographer obtained the same variables 15 minutes after the first sonographer. Separate data acquisitions were obtained by the two sonographers to evaluate test-retest variability. Intra-observer variability and inter-observer variability were also evaluated. Results Thirty fetuses between 17- and 36-week gestation were enrolled. Time-based variables had the best intra-observer agreement and inter-observer agreement (1.2%-7.4%), while 2D (7.5%-10%), M-mode (4.9%-10.1%), and velocity-time integral (VTI; 2.6%-13.8%) measurements had poorer agreement. For all variables, test-retest agreement was worse (3%-32.1%), particularly for measurement of myocardial performance index (MPI; 19.7%-21.1%), cardiac output estimation (27.2%-27.9%), and VTI-based indices (14.7%-32.1%). Conclusions In a laboratory highly experienced in quantitative fetal echocardiography, intra-observer agreement and inter-observer agreement are good for most quantitative parameters. However, test-retest agreement is fair or poor for several variables, notably the MPI, cardiac output estimation, and VTI-based indices. Understanding how these measures vary between separate acquisitions is important for clinical interpretation and decision making.
CART: Cache Access Reordering Tree for Efficient Cache and Memory Accesses in GPUs

Graphics processing units (GPUs) have been increasingly used to accelerate general purpose computing. Thousands of concurrently running threads in a GPU demand a highly efficient memory subsystem for data supply. A key factor that affects the memory subsystem is the order of memory accesses. While reordering memory accesses at L2 cache has large potential benefits to both cache and DRAM, little work has been conducted to exploit this. In this paper, we investigate the largely unexplored opportunity of L2 cache access reordering. We propose Cache Access Reordering Tree (CART), a novel architecture that can improve memory subsystem efficiency by actively reordering memory accesses at L2 cache to be cache-friendly and DRAM-friendly. Evaluation results using a wide range of benchmarks show that, the proposed CART is able to improve the average IPC of memory intensive benchmarks by 34.2% with only 1.7% area overhead.
Holistic Systems Integration

Systems engineers can no longer expect to design and build single-purpose systems that operate flawlessly in isolation. Instead, they must assume that they will create new systems by integrating independently developed elements to function harmoniously in a new framework and that their creations, in turn, will become components of larger, evolving, and unpredictable systems. To paraphrase John Donne, in today’s increasingly interconnected world no system is an island.
Percutaneous drainage for hinchey Ib and II acute diverticulitis with abscess improves outcomes.

Background/aims The role of percutaneous drainage in Hinchey Ib and II diverticulitis is controversial. The aim of the present study was to clarify the indications for percutaneous drainage in such circumstances. Materials and methods This was a single-center retrospective review at an academic tertiary care hospital. All Hinchey Ib and II diverticulitis cases admitted from 2012 to 2014 were considered. Results Overall, 104 (78%) patients underwent successful conservative treatment, whereas 30 (22%) patients underwent surgery during admission. During the index admission, abscess drainage was performed in 21 patients, of which 19 patients were successfully managed without surgery on the index admission and two patients ultimately required surgery. Elective versus same-admission surgery resulted in an increase use of laparoscopy (p=0.01), higher rate of restoration of gastrointestinal continuity with the index operation (p=0.04), and lower rate of diverting stoma formation (p Conclusion Percutaneous drainage may diminish the need for emergent surgery for Hinchey Ib and II diverticulitis. Elective surgery following conservative management increases the use of laparoscopy and decreases the rates of stoma formation.
The Burden of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Adults and Reproductive-Aged Women.

Currently available data on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease burden in adults and reproductive-aged women are limited. These data are critically needed to assist in the advancement of strategies related to maternal RSV vaccination for the passive protection of their newborn children.
Writing down our happiness and dreams: essay contest and the statist narratives of deaf identity in China

Identities are not pre-given but are socially constructed with performative power. Taking a critical discursive approach, this study explores how the cultural understandings of deafness and the dea...
XI – Transform coding

Publisher Summary A transform coder decomposes a signal in an orthogonal basis, and quantizes the decomposition coefficients. The distortion of the restored signal is minimized by optimizing the quantization, the basis and the bit allocation. This chapter introduces the basic information theory that is necessary for understanding quantization properties. Distortion rate theory is first studied in a Bayes framework, where signals are realizations of a random vector whose probability distribution is known a priori. This applies to audio coding where signals are often modeled with Gaussian processes. Since no appropriate stochastic model exists for images, a minimax approach is used to compute the distortion rate of transform coding. The chapter also describes image compression algorithms in wavelet bases and cosine block bases. These transform codes are improved by embedding strategies that first provide a coarse image approximation, and then progressively refine the quality by adding more bits. The chapter also explains the compression of video sequences with motion compensation and transform coding.
Beyond Monolithic Packages: Important Strategies Across Early Interventions for Children with Autism

Despite wide variation in theoretical orientation, target outcomes, and the overall implementation procedures used by different early intervention traditions, there are some support strategies that recur across a range of interventions. In this chapter, we review specific strategies that are used in a variety of approaches (suggesting some consensus on their importance and utility) and/or have accrued developmental evidence suggesting that they may be useful for supporting children with ASD. We have identified 10 such strategies including (a) promoting active child engagement, (b) caregiver coaching, (c) the incorporation of intervention strategies into everyday routines, (d) thoughtful environmental arrangements, (e) balancing structure and novelty, (f) developmental sequencing of intervention goals, (g) using data collection to guide intervention decision-making, (h) providing meaningful, natural reinforcement, (i) task analysis to teach functional skills, and (j) fading intervention supports over time.
'Liking' and 'wanting' in eating and food reward: Brain mechanisms and clinical implications.

Abstract It is becoming clearer how neurobiological mechanisms generate ‘liking’ and ‘wanting’ components of food reward. Mesocorticolimbic mechanisms that enhance ‘liking’ include brain hedonic hotspots, which are specialized subregions that are uniquely able to causally amplify the hedonic impact of palatable tastes. Hedonic hotspots are found in nucleus accumbens medial shell, ventral pallidum, orbitofrontal cortex, insula cortex, and brainstem. In turn, a much larger mesocorticolimbic circuitry generates ‘wanting’ or incentive motivation to obtain and consume food rewards. Hedonic and motivational circuitry interact together and with hypothalamic homeostatic circuitry, allowing relevant physiological hunger and satiety states to modulate ‘liking’ and ‘wanting’ for food rewards. In some conditions such as drug addiction, ‘wanting’ is known to dramatically detach from ‘liking’ for the same reward, and this may also occur in over-eating disorders. Via incentive sensitization, ‘wanting’ selectively becomes higher, especially when triggered by reward cues when encountered in vulnerable states of stress, etc. Emerging evidence suggests that some cases of obesity and binge eating disorders may reflect an incentive-sensitization brain signature of cue hyper-reactivity, causing excessive ‘wanting’ to eat. Future findings on the neurobiological bases of ‘liking’ and ‘wanting’ can continue to improve understanding of both normal food reward and causes of clinical eating disorders.
Associations between Childhood Abuse and Chronic Pain in Adults with Substance Use Disorders.

Both childhood abuse and chronic pain are common in people with substance use disorders (SUDs). Studies have found that exposure to childhood abuse is associated with chronic pain in adulthood; how...
Inpatient Antibiotic Costs Associated With Switching From Vancomycin to Daptomycin for Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy

Purpose: The common practice of changing patients to daptomycin for outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) can increase inpatient daptomycin use and impact inpatient pharmacy expenses. The...
Cytokine measurements add value to clinical variables in predicting outcomes for Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia

We demonstrated that an early dysregulated cytokine response [high interleukin-10 to tissue necrosis factor (IL-10/TNF) ratio] predicted poor outcomes in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB). However, high interpatient variability in cytokine levels were observed. We grouped cytokine measurements in quartiles and assessed their additive value to clinical variables for predicting bacterial persistence and 30-day mortality in patients with SAB. A multicenter observational study was conducted in hospitalized patients with SAB. Medical charts were reviewed for relevant information. Blood samples were obtained for cytokine measurements by ELISA: interferon-gamma (IFNγ), interleukin (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17) and tissue necrosis factor (TNF). Cytokine measurements were grouped into quartiles. Significant predictors for bacterial persistence and 30-day mortality were determined by multivariable logistic regression analysis. Area under the ROC curve (AUC) analysis was performed and predictive performance was compared between models with and without cytokine quartiles. Among 606 patients with SAB, a subset of patients (n = 239) had Day 1 cytokine measurements and clinical data collected; of those, 53 (22%) had persistent bacteremia. Accounting for septic shock, the addition of either IL-10 (AUC 0.708) or TNF (AUC 0.714) quartiles measured on Day 1 improved model performance for predicting bacterial persistence. All patients had Day 4 cytokine measurements; 52 patients (8.5%) died within 30-days of SAB onset. Inclusion of either IL-10 (AUC 0.873) or TNF (AUC 0.879) quartiles, but not both, measured on Day 4 to the significant clinical predictors (coronary artery disease, Pitt bacteremia score ≥ 4, and septic shock) improved model performance for mortality. IL-10 or TNF levels falling within the range in the upper quartiles, when combined with clinical variables, improved model performance for predicting outcomes, and may potentially be used to support aggressive management and biomarker-guided studies to evaluate the benefit of adjunctive immunotherapy for SAB in the future.
Plasmonics-Enhanced UV Photocatalytic Water Purification

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is commonly used for photocatalytic decomposition of organic contaminants for the purpose of water purification. One promising method to enhance TiO2 photocatalysis is the i...
Event Neural Networks

Video data is often repetitive; for example, the content of adjacent frames is usually strongly correlated. Such repetition occurs at multiple levels of complexity, from low-level pixel values to textures and high-level semantics. We propose Event Neural Networks (EvNets), a novel class of networks that leverage this repetition to achieve considerable computation savings for video inference tasks. A defining characteristic of EvNets is that each neuron has state variables that provide it with long-term memory, which allows low-cost inference even in the presence of significant camera motion. We show that it is possible to transform virtually any conventional neural into an EvNet. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method on several state-of-the-art neural networks for both high- and low-level visual processing, including pose recognition, object detection, optical flow, and image enhancement. We observe up to an order-of-magnitude reduction in computational costs (2-20x) as compared to conventional networks, with minimal reductions in model accuracy.
Leaky-wave analysis of Fabry-Pérot resonant cavity antennas

Fabry-Perot resonant cavity antennas are investigated from a leaky-wave point of view, and the physics of the leaky waves responsible for the directive beams is explored.
Selective fascicular recording of the hypoglossal nerve using a multi-contact nerve cuff electrode

The use of nerve cuff electrodes as part of a closed loop functional electrical stimulation (FES) system has been demonstrated as a reliable alternative to artificial sensors (e.g., strain gauge). To circumvent the need for multiple electrodes to record neural activity from different fascicles within a nerve, the flat interface nerve electrode (FINE) is presented as a potential approach to discern spatially disparate sources using a single implantable device. The recording selectivity of the FINE was investigated using both experimental and computational methods. This involved analyzing recorded action potentials from six acute beagle experiments and a finite element model, which was constructed from a nerve image obtained from one experiment. The performance of the electrode was assessed by a selectivity index that quantified the recording selectivity at the fascicle level. The computed overall selectivity of the FINE was SI/spl I.bar/FINE = 44.5 /spl plusmn/ 11.2 and SI/spl I.bar/FINE = 52.2 for the experimental (n = 7) and computational (n = 1) data, respectively. The results of this study indicate the feasibility of using the FINE as a means of selectively recording neural signals from a multifasciculated nerve.
Combination Salicylic Acid/TCA Chemical Peeling

The author has extensive experience using the combination of salicylic acid and TCA 10–15% for facial peeling [1]. She has treated innumerable patients with moderate to severe melasma with this combination regimen. In the initial series of 27 patients, 9 were classified as Fitzpatrick skin type IV, 11 were skin type V, and 7 were skin type VI. Many of the subjects included in the pilot group of patients had not responded to salicylic acid or glycolic acid peels. The concentration of salicylic acid was 20% and 30%, and the TCA concentration was 10%. A series of four peels were performed at 2-week intervals. Thirty percent of the patients experienced moderate improvement, and 70% experienced significant improvement in hyperpigmentation. Sixteen percent had minimal to mild side effects, which cleared within 1 week. The results of the study suggested that the combination peel is safe and efficacious for treatment of moderate and severe melasma. The peel has since been used successfully in all skin types. Swinehart pretreated a series of patients with lentigines, pigmented keratoses, and actinic damage of the dorsal hands with TCA 20% prior to application of a 50% salicylic acid paste [2]. He reported excellent results.
Aspects of Quantum Field Theory in Curved Space-Time: Effective Action and Energy-Momentum Tensor

The theory of quantized fields in curved spacetime has reached a high level of development, and a number of important physical consequences have been predicted. By treating the metric of the gravitational field classically, one avoids the nonrenormalizability problems of quantized gravity, but nevertheless retains a wide domain of applicability. I have already given a recent review of quantized fields in curved spacetime [L. Parker, 1977], in which the creation of elementary particles by strong gravitational fields (as in cosmology and near black holes) was emphasized. The present lectures will emphasize material which was not covered in the previous review.