cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Injection Site Eosinophilic Granulomas and Collagenolysis in 3 Horses

Three horses were presented with a history of having developed raised cutaneous nodules, within 24-48 hours, in areas of previous injections using standard silicone-coated hypodermic needles. Skin biopsies were taken from a selected cutaneous nodule from all horses for histopathologic evaluation. Histologically, the nodules were consistent with a diagnosis of equine eosinophilic granuloma. A hypersensitivity reaction to the silicone, or another component of the coating formulation, was hypothesized to be responsible for these lesions. Two horses were experimentally injected using both coated and noncoated stainless steel hypodermic needles and skin biopsies were obtained 14 days after injection. The sites of the coated needle injections were characterized by severe eosinophilic granulomatous inflammation with and without collagenolysis. The eosinophilic granulomas with and without collagenolysis observed in these horses are proposed to represent a complex immunologic response to the silicone-based coating of most hypodermic needles.
Formation of colorimetric fingerprints on nano-patterned deterministic aperiodic surfaces

Periodic gratings and photonic bandgap structures have been studied for decades in optical technologies. The translational invariance of periodic gratings gives rise to well-known angular and frequency filtering of the incident radiation resulting in well-defined scattered colors in response to broadband illumination. Here, we demonstrate the formation of highly complex structural color patterns, or colorimetric fingerprints, in two-dimensional (2D) deterministic aperiodic gratings using dark field scattering microscopy. The origin of colorimetric fingerprints is explained by rigorous full-wave numerical simulations based on the generalized Mie theory. We show that unlike periodic gratings, aperiodic nanopatterned surfaces feature a broadband frequency response with wide angular intensity distributions governed by the distinctive Fourier properties of the aperiodic structures. Finally, we will discuss a range of potential applications of colorimetric fingerprints for optical sensing and spectroscopy.
MicroRNA-mediated regulation of melanoma.

Summary Melanoma is one of the most aggressive and deadly skin cancers, and, in its advanced stages, accounts for > 80% mortality. The incidence of melanoma is increasing worldwide; however, beyond surgical removal of the tumour, there is currently no curative therapy available, especially for its advanced stages. This may, in part, be owing to incomplete understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate the initiation and/or progression of melanoma to metastasis. The molecular mechanisms leading to the development and progression of melanoma are the focus of intense investigation, and many genetic/epigenetic alterations affecting melanoma progression and development have been identified. microRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as important causal modulators in the development and progression of melanoma. The understanding of miRNA-mediated regulation of tumours has grown immensely over the last few years, as it has been understood to regulate most biological processes. Here, we review the currently available data on miRNAs associated with melanoma, highlighting those deregulated miRNAs that target important genes and pathways involved in the progression of melanocytes to primary and metastatic melanoma. We also review their potential clinical utility as biomarkers and potential use in targeted therapy.
Minor Oral Lesions Facilitate Transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease

While chronic wasting disease (CWD) prion transmission, entry, and trafficking remain incompletely elucidated, natural exposure of the oral and/or nasal mucous membranes seems certain. Cervids commonly sustain minor lesions on oral mucous membranes that could have an impact on susceptibility to prion infection. To explore this potential cofactor, we studied cohorts of cervid PrP transgenic mice with or without superficial abrasions on the lingual mucosa to determine whether minor oral mucosa lesions may enhance susceptibility to CWD infections. Results demonstrated that minor lingual abrasions substantially facilitate CWD transmission, revealing a cofactor that may be significant in cervids and perhaps other species.
Release of complement regulatory proteins from ocular surface cells in infections.

Purpose. The decay accelerating factor (DAF or CD55) and the membrane inhibitor of reactive lysis (MIRL or CD59), two complement regulatory proteins that protect self cells from autologous complement-mediated injury, are attached to corneal and cqonjunctival epithelial cells by glycosylphos-phatidylinositol (GPI) anchors. We sought to 1) determine the frequency with which bacteria recovered from patients with infections of the eye elaborate factors that can remove these surface proteins from ocular cells, 2) determine the spectrum of bacteria from other sites that have similar effects, and 3) establish the time interval required for reconstitution of the two regulators. Methods. Culture supernatants of 18 ocular isolates [ P. aeruginosa (n = 3), S. marcescens (n = 1), S. epidermidis (n = 9), and S. aureus (n = 5)], and > 100 other clinical specimens isolated in the hospital's microbiology laboratory [ P. mirabilis (n = 1), S. aureus (n = 65), S. epidermidis (n = 24), B. cereus (n = 12), H. influenzae (...
Effect of surface roughness on ellipsometry of aluminum

Abstract Controlled surface roughness experiments have been performed on aluminum to determine the effect on ellipsometric parameters. To help characterize the surfaces SEM, light scattering, photo electron emission, surface potential difference and water contact angle measurements were made. Comparison of experimental results with recent theory is also presented.
In Situ and Ex Situ Ellipsometric Characterization of Oxygen Plasma and UV Radiation Effects on Spacecraft Materials

Atomic Oxygen (AO) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation contribute (including synergistically) to degradation of spacecraft materials in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). NASA is, therefore, interested in determining what effects the harsh LEO environment has on materials exposed to it, as well as develop materials that are more AO and UV resistant. The present work involves the study of AO and UV effects on polyarylene ether benzimidazole (PAEBI) with in situ and ex situ spectroscopic ellipsometry. PAEBI is a polymer proposed for space applications due to its reported ability to form a protective phosphorous oxide on the surface when exposed to AO. In our experiments PAEBI was exposed to UV radiation from a xenon lamp while in situ ellipsometry data were acquired. The effects of UV radiation were modeled as an exponentially graded layer on the surface of bulk PAEBI. The change in UV absorption spectra, depth profile of the index of refraction, and growth trends of the UV irradiated PAEBI were all studied in these experiments. In addition, PAEBI was exposed to an oxygen plasma to simulate the synergistic effects of AO and UV. Ellipsometry data were acquired in-line with both a UV-Visible ellipsometer and an infrared ellipsometer. The change in UV absorption bands and index of refraction due to synergistic AO/UV, as well as the growth trends of the oxide layer were studied.
Efficacy and Safety of Second-Generation Antidepressants in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

The authors systematically evaluated studies of the efficacy, effectiveness, and tolerability of commonly prescribed second-generation antidepressants for major depressive disorder. Second-generati...
Racial Disparities in Hypofractionated Radiotherapy Breast Cancer Clinical Trials.

There is a paucity of data regarding factors affecting enrollment onto radiation oncology clinical trials. The purpose of this study was to determine patients and tumor characteristics that influenced enrollment of breast cancer patients onto hypofractionated breast radiotherapy trials (HBRTs) at a single institution. In this retrospective cohort study, patients enrolled on HBRTs at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey (n = 132) were compared with a cohort of breast cancer patients eligible for, but not enrolled onto HBRTs treated during the same time period (n = 132). Charts were retrospectively reviewed to determine patients' demographics, clinico-pathologic factors, and treatment characteristics. Statistical analysis was performed to analyze variables affecting enrollment onto HBRTs between the two groups. Over a 42-month time period, 132 patients treated on HBRTs received 2,475-4,995 cGy over 3 to 15 fractions. When compared with patients treated off trial, there was no statistically significant effect of age, family history, lymph node positivity, tumor grade, estrogen or Her-2 receptor status, use of chemotherapy or hormones, use of brachytherapy, or the site of initial consultation on HBRT enrollment. Non-White women were less likely to enroll in HBRT's when compared with White women (25.7% versus 40.1%, p = 0.0129), though this was found to be a nonsignificant trend when taking stage into consideration on multivariate analysis (OR for lower T-stage: 0.281, p = 0.003, OR 1.839 for white race, p = 0.076). Consistent with previous studies, non-White women were less likely to enroll in HBRTs than White women. However, disease stage accounted for these racial disparities. Further studies must be performed to determine if race is an independent factor determining radiation oncology clinical trial enrollment.
The role of encapsulated anaerobic bacteria in synergistic infections

The effect of encapsulation on the virulence, survival, and protection of anaerobic bacteria from phagocytosis is reviewed. Support for the importance of encapsulated Gram-negative anaerobic rods (Bacteroides sp., Prevotella sp. and Porphyromonas sp.), anaerobic and facultative Gram-positive cocci (AFGPC) was provided by their higher recovery rate in oropharyngeal infections, abscesses and blood, compared to their number in the normal flora. The pathogenicity of Bacteroides, Fusobacterium, Clostridium, and AFGPC was studied by inoculating them into mice and observing their ability to induce subcutaneous abscesses. Encapsulated Bacteroides, Fusobacteria, and AFGPC generally induced abscesses, whereas non-encapsulated organisms did not. However, many of the strains that had only a minimal number of encapsulated organisms (< 1%) survived in the abscesses, and they became heavily encapsulated when inoculated with other viable or non-viable encapsulated bacteria. Thereafter, these strains were able to induce abscesses when injected alone. Encapsulated Gram-negative anaerobic rods and AFGPC-induced bacteraemia and translocation, and increased the mortality of the infected animals more often than did the non-encapsulated form of the same strains. As determined by using selective antimicrobial therapy and quantitative cultures of abscesses induced in mice, possession of a capsule generally made Gram-negative anaerobic rods more important than their aerobic counterparts. Synergistic potentials were seen between encapsulated Gram-negative anaerobic rods and all tested aerobic bacteria and most AFGPC, and also between most AFGPC and Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus. These studies demonstrated the importance of encapsulated anaerobes in mixed infections.
"I don't know" my cancer risk: exploring deficits in cancer knowledge and information-seeking skills to explain an often-overlooked participant response.

Background: Perceived risk is a central theoretical construct in health behavior research. Participants’ “don’t know” responses to perceived-risk items (DKPR) are usually excluded from analyses. Ye...
A Self-Organized Grouping (SOG) Method for Efficient Grid Resource Discovery

This paper presents a self-organized grouping (SOG) method that achieves efficient Grid resource discovery by forming and maintaining autonomous resource groups. Each group dynamically aggregates a set of resources that are similar to each other in some pre-specified resource characteristic. The SOG method takes advantage of the strengths of both centralized and decentralized approaches that were previously developed for Grid/P2P resource discovery. The design of the SOG method minimizes the overhead incurred in forming and maintaining groups and maximizes resource discovery performance. The way SOG method handles resource discovery queries is metaphorically similar to searching for a word in an English dictionary by identifying its alphabetical groups at the first place. It is shown from a series of computational experiments that SOG method achieves more stable (i.e., independent of the factors such as resource densities, and Grid sizes) and efficient lookup performance than other existing approaches.
Uncovering Regulatory Pathways with Expression Quantitative Trait Loci

The automated inference or prediction of protein-protein interaction networks from large-scale measurements and other genomic data has become a standard technique in systems biology. However, typically these networks only represent undirected interactions between proteins, without classifying the type and directionality of interactions. Regulatory interactions transmit signals and are activating or repressing. As a step towards more detailed understanding of such regulatory networks, we present a novel approach for the integration of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data with protein-protein interaction (PPI) data. Application of this approach to a new yeast interaction network with 3,491 proteins and 16,438 interactions (covering PPI and transcriptional interactions) allows us to infer the directionality of interactions and also to identify pathways that regulate the expression of individual genes. Inferred pathways contain chains of PPI as well as transcription factor - DNA interactions. We discuss the regulation of the DNA damage related transcription factor Rpn4p as an example. This new approach facilitates eQTL as a rich data source for the unbiased inference of regulatory pathways.
The Use of Archives in the Study of Immigration and Ethnicity

In recent years there has been a widely proclaimed resurgence of interest in ethnicity in the United States. On one level, a small but articulate group of writers has maintained that Americans are experiencing a very significant renewal of identification with and interest in their past, and may be on the verge of forging an important new force in American politics and culture. Michael Novak, perhaps one of the most influential spokesmen for the new ethnicity, has compa sionately referred to the descendants of the so-called new immigration as the PIGS:
Automated identification of abnormal respiratory ciliary motion in nasal biopsies

Motile cilia lining the nasal and bronchial passages beat synchronously to clear mucus and foreign matter from the respiratory tract. This mucociliary defense mechanism is essential for pulmonary health, because respiratory ciliary motion defects, such as those in patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) or congenital heart disease, can cause severe sinopulmonary disease necessitating organ transplant. The visual examination of nasal or bronchial biopsies is critical for the diagnosis of ciliary motion defects, but these analyses are highly subjective and error-prone. Although ciliary beat frequency can be computed, this metric cannot sensitively characterize ciliary motion defects. Furthermore, PCD can present without any ultrastructural defects, limiting the use of other detection methods, such as electron microscopy. Therefore, an unbiased, computational method for analyzing ciliary motion is clinically compelling. We present a computational pipeline using algorithms from computer vision and machine learning to decompose ciliary motion into quantitative elemental components. Using this framework, we constructed digital signatures for ciliary motion recognition and quantified specific properties of the ciliary motion that allowed high-throughput classification of ciliary motion as normal or abnormal. We achieved >90% classification accuracy in two independent data cohorts composed of patients with congenital heart disease, PCD, or heterotaxy, as well as healthy controls. Clinicians without specialized knowledge in machine learning or computer vision can operate this pipeline as a "black box" toolkit to evaluate ciliary motion.
When Gift-Giving Is Selfish: A Motivation to Be Unique

Gift givers are faced with the difficult task of choosing gifts that will be liked by gift recipients, and the challenging nature of this task often leads gift givers to unintentionally give poor gifts. The results of seven lab and field studies across 1,513 participants suggest that this failure on the part of gift givers is not always unintentional. Rather, it seems that gift givers possess a need for uniqueness and that this longing often leads them to knowingly give poor gifts. The present research demonstrates a robust effect in which gift givers, in some contexts, give gift recipients inferior gifts, because gift givers have a selfish motive in that they want their own possessions to feel unique. Conversely, when given the opportunity to choose between gifts for the self, gift recipients ignore this need for uniqueness in favor of obtaining an optimal gift. This effect holds across a variety of gifts, and gift-giving paradigms.
Big data, small kids: Medico-scientific, familial and advocacy visions of human brains

On the basis of anthropological fieldwork in a US pediatric neuroscience laboratory, this article traces the recent move from studies of individual diagnostic pathologies like ADHD, Tourette or autism spectrum disorder to the rapid creation of innovative interdisciplinary research coalitions and collaborations that both produce and utilize big data techniques in order to map the human connectome. By analogy with the human genome, connectome studies require new ways to imagine and image complex and multivalent neuro-circuits in which brain scans of those with and without diagnoses provide data points, open to recombination with other forms of data. Emergent expert understandings of the connectome are only minimally related to what families who enroll their diagnosed children in fMRI studies understand. Likewise, young adult self-advocates with the same diagnoses on which the neuroscientists are now working use ‘brain talk’ to stake their own ethical claims. I argue that this epistemological gap among medico-scientific, familial and advocacy visions of human brains provides a mobile space of creativity as well as misunderstanding.
Reference-Free Fatigue Crack Detection, Localization and Quantification in Lug Joints

This work focuses on fatigue crack detection, crack tip localization and quantification in lug joints using a reference-free method. In many practical applications the environmental conditions in which a structure is operated vary over time. Sensor signals, thus, collected for the damaged state cannot be compared directly with the baseline because a change in the signal can be caused by several factors other than structural damage. Therefore, referencefree methods are needed for damage detection. Two methods have been discussed in this paper, one with collocated sensors and the other using matching pursuit decomposition (MPD) to detect waves undergoing mode conversion from fatigue crack tip. The time of flight (TOF) information of Lamb wave modes undergoing mode conversion, along with their respective velocities, is used to localize the crack tip and ultimately find the extent of crack. The efficiency of reference free methods to detect fatigue cracks is demonstrated on aluminum plate samples and lug joint samples. Direct mode converted waves are used for plate samples and mode converted waves reflected from the edges are used for lug joint samples for crack localization study. Comparison of crack lengths obtained from experiments with crack lengths calculated through reference-free technique are found to be in good agreement.
Optimization of MVG position for control of shock boundary layer interaction

Based on the new theory of MVG to reduce separation caused by shock boundary layer interaction (SBLI), a new optimization method is presented in this paper, mainly to optimize the location of the MVG in front of the shock. The key issue is to generate a proper momentum deficit zone, which can generate a strong shear layer and further strong vortex rings frequently, in front of shock. Several artificial momentum deficit zones (low speed streaks) are tested by LES and the efficiency of reduction of SBLI induced separation is assessed.
Suborbital Flights for Space Science

The burgeoning area of suborbital flights has opened an entirely new opportunity for space-based scientific research. As the private industry has focused on building suborbital reusable launch vehicles (sRLVs) for space tourism, there is a growing recognition that there exists an equally exciting opportunity to have scientific experiments ride along on these ground breaking flights. As such, the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) has been awarded multiple flights by NASA to characterize the electromagnetic environments on these commercial flights. The data obtained on these flights will be used to baseline and understand the underlying environments for these vehicles, thereby allowing unprecedented scientific research to take place during these commercial flights. This paper will detail the plans for these ground-breaking suborbital flights, expected to take place in 2014.
Control of Spontaneous Emission and Reflectance in Anisotropic Metamaterials based on Irregular and Discontinuous Metallic Inclusions

We show that a metamaterial based on irregular and discontinuous metallic inclusions can show a property expected of hyperbolic metamaterials, such as control of spontaneous emission and reduced reflection.
Anti-inflammatory effects of Azithromycin on Asthmatic Children

Objective To explore the anti-inflammatory effects of Azithromycin on asthmatic children.Methods Asthmatic children treated for the first time were divided into treatment group and control group according to whether or not using Azithromycin.The indicators of lung function were detected.Results There were different degree decrease in major and minor airway function in both group.But in Asthma group,the minor airway function improved more significantly.Conclusion Azithromycin has the anti-inflammatory effects on the children with asthma.
Simulation of RCS of Battleplan by the Software Feko

There is a method to compute the radar cross section(RCS) by the soft ware FEKO.This paper presents the author's modeling method and skill.and there is a 3D model from the soft ware Unigraphics and a mesh model from the soft ware ICEM CFD.The RCS of overseas battleplan was caluated and precision of this method was believable.
Safeguarding a lunar rover with Wald's sequential probability ratio test

The virtual bumper is a safeguarding mechanism for autonomous and remotely operated robots to conservatively avoid collisions even in the face of sensor uncertainty. In this paper we take a new approach to the virtual bumper system by applying a powerful but rarely examined statistical test. By using a modified version of Wald's sequential probability ratio test, we demonstrate that we can reduce the number of false positives reported by the virtual bumper, thereby saving valuable mission time. We further use the concept of sequential probability ratio to control vehicle speed in the presence of possible obstacles in order to increase certainty about whether or not obstacles are present. With this principled obstacle certainty measure, our new algorithm reduces the chances of collision by approximately 98% relative to traditional virtual bumper safeguarding without speed control.
Containing Multitudes: The Many Impacts of Kickstarter Funding

Using a survey of 61,654 successful Kickstarter projects, I examined the various long-term impacts of crowdfunding. I found that every dollar given to projects via Kickstarter resulted in a mean of $2.46 in additional revenue outside of Kickstarter (95% Confidence Interval (CI): $1.82 to $3.09), though these amounts were much higher in categories such as food and product design and lower in film. From inception to May, 2015, Kickstarter projects resulted in around 5,135 ongoing fulltime jobs besides those that went to creators (95% CI: 1,188 to 9,082), and led to the hiring of around 160,425 temporary workers (95% CI: 145,330 to 175,518). Over 50% of projects were reported as being innovative by both backers and creators, and projects produced over 2,601 patent applications. Creators also reported significant positive impacts on their careers, and suggested that many projects helped a community or society in some way.
Case report: management of differential diagnosis and treatment of severe anaphylaxis in the setting of spinal anesthesia

The purpose of this case report is to educate fellow anesthesiologists of a complicated differential diagnosis for sudden cardiovascular collapse after spinal anesthesia. We report a case where anaphylaxis occurred while under spinal anesthesia and resulted in difficult resuscitation. A 58-year-old woman undergoing bilateral knee replacements under spinal anesthesia experienced sudden seizure and cardiovascular collapse from acute anaphylactic shock while administering a cephalosporin. Local anesthetic toxicity, high spinal, and anaphylaxis were considered due to overlapping of symptoms. Successful resuscitation required prolonged advanced cardiac life support with substantially larger doses of epinephrine. Anaphylactic shock under spinal anesthesia is an acute and life-threatening complication, worsened by the spinal-induced sympathectomy, and aggressive resuscitation is warranted. Despite the presence of overlapping symptoms of differential diagnoses, rapid identification of the cause of cardiovascular collapse is crucial given that resuscitation treatment modalities may conflict. Timing of antibiotic administration should be adjusted for spinal anesthesia cases to allow time to detect possible anaphylaxis.
Learning flipping and rotation invariant sparsifying transforms

Adaptive sparse representation has been heavily exploited in signal processing and computer vision. Recently, sparsifying transform learning received interest for its cheap computation and optimal updates in the alternating algorithms. In this work, we develop a methodology for learning a Flipping and Rotation Invariant Sparsifying Transform, dubbed FRIST, to better represent natural images that contain textures with various geometrical directions. The proposed alternating learning algorithm involves efficient optimal updates. We demonstrate empirical convergence behavior of the proposed learning algorithm. Preliminary experiments show the usefulness of FRIST for image sparse representation, segmentation, robust inpainting, and MRI reconstruction with promising performances.
The Orbiting Objects

This chapter defines and describes asteroids and their impacts with a description and comparison of their kinetic energies and impact crater formation. A description is made of the potential as well as kinetic energies involved. Accounts of two notable explosive impact events—Barringer and Tunguska are given. Also, NEO objects possibly (or probably) destined to have near catastrophic collisions with the Earth sometime in the future are described.
Early Sacral Neuromodulation in Spinal Cord Injury—Can It Regenerate Nerves?

The extent of neurologic deficit in spinal cord injury (SCI) is dependent on the primary injury, biologic responses to injury, including inflammation, edema, and scar formation, and neural restructuring. During the recovery phase of SCI, which follows a period of spinal shock lasting weeks to up to 2 years, uninhibited spinal reflexes result in detrusor overactivity with dyssynergia of the urethral sphincter, associated with progressive lower urinary tract dysfunction and potentially upper tract deterioration. Minimization of secondary injury following acute SCI and optimization of nerve regeneration may maximize functional recovery and limit end organ dysfunction, including of the lower urinary tract. Early administration of neuromodulation via electrical or electromagnetic stimulation has been shown to limit secondary injury and potentially restore function. Low-frequency electrical stimulation accelerates axonal growth in the peripheral nervous system and may have a similar benefit in the central nervous system. Limited evidence suggests that sacral neuromodulation has the potential to limit or even prevent maladaptive neural restructuring of the lower urinary tract when administered during the spinal shock phase, when the bladder is areflexic. Herein, we review the pathophysiology of voiding dysfunction following acute injury, existing evidence for the benefit of early SNM in SCI, and possible mechanisms of action, including neural regeneration.
Mobility-Aware Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Optimization for Uniform Utilization in Smart Grid Based Power Distribution Network

V2G technology in smart grid architecture enables the bidirectional flow of electric energy where a Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV) can also discharge energy to the grid from its battery. Thus when a good number of PEVs are available, for instance, in a big parking lot enabled with Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), they form a large distributed energy storage system. A controller which can communicate with such EVSE enabled parking lots can optimally control charging/discharging schedules of each PEV to minimize the peak load demand of the distribution grid. While minimizing the peak demand, our optimization strategy also considers improved distribution of PEV loads throughout the distribution network to minimize the impact in any particular feeder or transformer utilizing mobility information by Vehicular Ad hoc Network (VANET) communications. This novel algorithm of uniform utilization can substantially reduce the need of expensive infrastructure upgrade of power distribution network.
Antegrade sclerotherapy in adolescent varicocele patients

Introduction In the 1970s, Tauber described the antegrade sclerotherapy technique to treat varicoceles, and reported a 10% recurrence rate. The present study aimed to evaluate paediatric success rates and the effect of modifications to the surgical technique. Methods A prospective study was performed of all adolescent patients undergoing antegrade sclerotherapy surgery. Each patient had an idiopathic varicocele with spontaneous venous reflux on Doppler examination, and underwent cannulation of a pampiniform plexus vein via a scrotal incision under general anaesthetic. Aethoxysklerol® 3% (2 ml/kg) maximum 3 ml was injected into the pampiniform plexus vein under fluoroscopic monitoring. Success was assessed by clinical examination and Doppler ultrasound 3, 6 and 9 months after surgery. Data were presented as median (interquartile range). Patients were split into three groups: Group A – liquid sclerotherapy with Y connector; Group B – liquid sclerotherapy direct to cannula; and Group C – foam sclerotherapy direct to cannula. Fisher's exact test was used to compare the success rates in each group. Results A total of 91 patients underwent antegrade sclerotherapy. The median age was 14.8 years (range 13.7–15.5). Eleven persistent varicoceles occurred and were diagnosed by Doppler ultrasound. The success rate of surgery was 58% in Group A, 90% in Group B and 96% in Group C. Success was significantly higher in Group B and Group C compared with Group A. No testicular atrophy occurred; two wound infections, two haematomas and one hydrocele were recorded (Table). Conclusion Introduction of antegrade sclerotherapy in the adolescent population resulted in a safe and cost-effective method for the management of adolescent varicocele. Several modifications to the technique have been introduced to achieve a high success rate (96%) with minimal complications. Table. Group-wise comparison of success rates using Fisher's exact test. Group A B C Modifications to technique Liquid sclerotherapy + intravenous connector Liquid sclerotherapy direct to cannula Foam sclerotherapy direct to cannula Number of patients 14 50 27 Age of patients (yrs) 14.6 (13.5 − 15.0) 14.7 (13.6 − 15.4) 15.2 (14.1 − 16.6) Success (%) 58% 90% 96% *P = 0.03 (Gp A vs B), **P = 0.01 (Gp A vs C). Full-size table Table options View in workspace Download as CSV
Discovery of Indirect Associations from Web Usage Data

Web associations are valuable patterns because they provide useful insights into the browsing behavior of Web users. However, there are several limitations in applying current techniques for mining association patterns in Web usage data. First, as current techniques rely on the support measure to eliminate infrequent patterns, they are unable to detect interesting negative associations in data. In addition, they do not account for the impact of Web site structure on the support of a pattern. To address these limitations, we describe the use of a new data mining technique called indirect association to discover interesting negative associations in Web click-stream data. The key idea behind indirect association is to find pairs of pages that are negatively associated with each other, but are often accessed together with a common set of pages called the mediator. Indirect associations are useful patterns because they can capture the different interests of Web users who share a common traversal path. This type of pattern is not easily found using conventional data mining techniques unless the groups of users are known a priori. A novel technique is also developed for merging indirect associations into more compact patterns. The effectiveness of mining indirect associations is demonstrated using Web data from an academic institution and an online Web store.
Power, interconnect, and reliability techniques for large scale integrated circuits

Historically, consumer computing products have moved to increasingly smaller form factors, from the personal computer, to the laptop, and now to devices such as smart phones and tablets. These products have a high amount of visibility, but in the background are datacenters solving problems beyond what can be solved by consumer devices. One of the first computers, ENIAC, was a massive machine that weighed 30 tons and occupied a full room to calculate artillery firing tables. Now it is possible to build a much more powerful system in a cubic millimeter form factor, but we still build warehouse-size systems, such as the "K computer", to solve complex problems like global weather simulation. Although advances in computing technology have greatly improved system capabilities and form factors, they have introduced problems in heat dissipation, reliability, and yield. Large scale systems are greatly affected by this, where their power usage is measured in megawatts, their reliability goal is running a mere 30 hours without system failure, and their processor count numbers in the hundreds of thousands. This thesis addresses these issues on four fronts. First, 3D-stacking technology coupled with near-threshold computing (NTC) is used to address heat dissipation. A 3D-stacked NTC system, Centip3De, is presented as a demonstration of this strategy, with a 75x decrease in processor power and a 5.1x improvement in energy efficiency. Next, system yield is addressed using a demonstrated in-situ performance monitoring technique, Safety Razor, which uses a novel time-to-digital converter with sub-picosecond calibration accuracy. Third, interconnect and system reliability is addressed with a failure tolerant interconnect fabric, Vicis, which disables faulty components to maintain reliability, tolerating fault rates of over 1 in 2,000 gates. Finally, stochastic computing is proposed as an error-tolerant form of computation for advanced VLSI processes. An example application of an image sensor array with built-in edge detection is investigated, with a power savings improvement of over 50% compared to a conventional approach.
Establishing a Multidisciplinary Approach to the Management of Neurologic Disease Affecting the Urinary Tract

Neurologic diseases often affect the urinary tract and may be congential or acquired. The progressive nature of many neurologic diseases necessitates routine surveillance and treatment with a multidisciplinary approach. Urologic treatments may interact with pharmacologic or procedural interventions planned by other specialists, mandating close coordination of care and communication among providers. Primary care and nursing often can serve as the quarterbacks of the multidisciplinary team by identifying when a slowly progressive condition warrants further investigation and management by specialists.
Group and phase velocity mismatch fringes in triple sum-frequency spectroscopy

The effects of group- and phase-velocity mismatch are well known in optical harmonic generation, but the nondegenerate cases remain unexplored. In this work we develop an analytic model which predicts velocity mismatch effects in nondegenerate triple sum-frequency mixing, TSF. We verify this model experimentally using two tunable, ultrafast, short-wave IR lasers to demonstrate spectral fringes in the TSF output from a 500-$\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$-thick sapphire plate. We find the spectral dependence of the TSF depends strongly on both the phase-velocity and the group-velocity differences between the input and output fields. We define practical strategies for mitigating the impact of velocity mismatches.
Regulatory Aspects of Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls for Investigational New Drug Applications and Biologic License Applications to the United States Food and Drug Administration

There is a bewildering array of information on the regulatory requirements for submitting an application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from the FDA website, industry journal articles, webinars, and conferences. This article highlights critical aspects of the regulatory requirements for the Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) section for Investigational New Drug (IND) applications and Biologic License Applications (BLAs). This article will draw attention to key regulations, guidance documents, and white papers. By no means is this article comprehensive; however, it will provide a global overview of the regulatory process from Phase 1 through Licensure.
Molecular Targeted Therapy of Bladder Cancer

The modern treatment of advanced urothelial carcinoma has been built on the foundation of platinum-containing combination chemotherapy. This therapeutic approach has been in place with little change in several decades. Urothelial carcinoma possesses a high prevalence of therapeutic targets including: Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor (VEGFR), Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2), Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR), among other pathways. Despite this target-rich environment, there are currently no molecularly targeted therapies in regular clinical use for the treatment of advanced urothelial carcinoma. Active clinical investigations, including randomized, phase 3 trials targeting these pathways are underway and will provide definitive results to these approaches. Recent genetic characterization of bladder cancer has provided new insights into the molecular-drivers of the disease and established new classification schemas, which may aid in our improved understanding of the disease and provide additional molecular targets. These newly characterized molecularly derived subtypes show similarities between subsets of bladder cancer patients and other cancer types such as lung and breast cancer. Several predictive biomarkers have been developed in bladder cancer including those based on gene expression signatures and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), with the application of these approaches currently in active clinical investigation. With the recent approval of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for advanced bladder cancer, more attention is now being paid to therapeutic needs and opportunities in this disease. This, coupled with advances in molecular characterization of bladder cancer, presents a great opportunity for drug development and the rational integration of targeted agents in the care of bladder cancer patients.
Adolescent Socioeconomic Status and Parent-Child Emotional Bonds: Reexamining Gender Differences in Mental Well-being during Young Adulthood:

Links between elevated mental well-being in adulthood and higher social and economic resources growing up are well established. However, the role of gender remains unclear, especially whether gende...
A Short Proof of the Two-sidedness of Matrix Inverses

(2007). A Short Proof of the Two-sidedness of Matrix Inverses. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 80, No. 2, pp. 135-136.
Deficits in Burrowing Behaviors Are Associated With Mouse Models of Neuropathic but Not Inflammatory Pain or Migraine.

Burrowing, or the removal of material from an enclosed tube, is emerging as a prominent means of testing changes in a voluntary behavior in rodent models of various pain states. Here, we report no significant differences between male and female mice in terms of burrowing performance, in a substantially shorter time frame than previous reports. We found that the color of the burrow tube affects the variability of burrowing performance when tested in a lit room, suggesting that light aversion is at least a partial driver of this behavior. Spared nerve injury (SNI; as a model of neuropathy) impairs burrowing performance and correlates with enhanced mechanical sensitivity as assessed by von Frey filaments, as well as being pharmacologically reversed by an analgesic, gabapentin. Loss of the SNI-induced burrowing deficit was observed with daily testing post-surgery, but not when the testing interval was increased to 5 days, suggesting a confounding effect of daily repeat testing in this paradigm. Intraplantar complete Freund’s adjuvant (as a model of inflammatory pain) and systemic nitroglycerin (as a model of migraine-like symptoms) administration did not induce any burrowing deficit, indicating that assessment of burrowing behavior may not be universally suitable for the detection of behavioral changes across all rodent pain models.
External snapping hip: a systematic review of outcomes following surgical intervention: External snapping hip systematic review.

Purpose:To evaluate the outcomes of surgical management for external snapping hip in terms of: (1) recurrence; (2) complications; and (3) return to pre-injury activities.Methods:A thorough review o...
Alloantibodies in relation to the rejection of skin allografts in the mouse.

The rejection of skin allografts is accepted as a cell-mediated phenomenon, presumably by host lymphocytes invading the graft, but the specific effector molecule by which the lymphocytes bring this about has not been identified. Data will be presented here suggesting, in the mouse, an association of antibodies with either accelerated rejection or prolonged retention, respectively, depending on the 7S subclass of the antibodies involved.
Pandora’s Box in Aftertimes

Shortly after the inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th President of the United States, my services were engaged by the Bechtel Group, Inc., as a consultant to the Human Interference Task Force, assigned responsibility for “reducing the likelihood of future human activities that could affect geological high-level waste repositories.” The specific assignment of this Task Force was to prepare a report on this topic for submission to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, via the U.S. Department of Energy. It was prepared under the auspices of the National Waste Terminal Storage Program, which directs both the development and the implementation of the technology required for designing, constructing, licensing, and operating repositories. In September, 1981, the report of our Task Force was duly submitted, but the opinions expressed and positions stated by the members have, as of the Summer, 1982, not yet been endorsed by the Department of Energy. The article that follows constitutes an updated version of my own report to the Bechtel Group; although I have, of course, learned a great deal from my collaborators, and have profited from the draft document mentioned, it contains solely my personal views on the specific problem on which I was asked to work: designing a reasonably fail-safe means of communicating information about the repository and its contents, such that the system’s effectiveness would be maintained for up to 10,000 years.
Laboratory Simulation of Low Earth Orbit

Thin films of several inorganic protective coatings were prepared in duplicate by sputtering and evaporation. Pure oxygen plasmas were used as a source of atomic oxygen and UV radiation degradation, and in-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry used as a sensitive diagnostic of surface damage or film deposition. After both plasma and LEO exposure on the shuttle (three separate flights) detailed materials degradation evaluations were made using ellipsometry, weight loss, Auger spectroscopy, and reflectrometry. Plasma chambers often contaminate the ground-based experiments and sensitive ways to detect this are discussed. Likewise, contamination together with degradation take place simultaneously during shuttle flights.
Lower semicontinuous convex functions

Our differentiability results for convex functions made heavy and consistent use of continuity, but in both theoretical and applied aspects of convex functions, it is sometimes desirable to weaken this hypothesis. Lower semicontinuity is precisely what is needed.
A fission yeast-based platform for phosphodiesterase inhibitor HTSs and analyses of phosphodiesterase activity.

Fission yeast strains have been engineered so that their growth behavior reflects the activity of heterologous cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs). These strains can be used in High-Throughput Screens (HTSs) for PDE inhibitors that possess “drug-like” characteristics, displaying activity in a growth stimulation assay over a 48-h period. Through three generations of development, a collection of strains expressing 10 of the 11 mammalian PDE families that is appropriate for small molecule inhibitor screening has been generated in our laboratory. Strains unable to synthesize cyclic nucleotides allow characterization of PDE activity in that the enzyme’s potency is reflected in the amount of either cAMP or cGMP that must be added to the growth medium to stimulate cell growth. In the future, this system could be used to screen cDNA libraries for biological regulators of target PDEs and for the construction of strains that co-express PDEs and associated regulatory proteins to facilitate molecular and genetic studies of their functions and, in particular, to identify whether different PDE-partner protein complexes show distinct patterns of inhibitor sensitivity.
More than Law Enforcement: The Ftc's Many Tools - a Conversation with Tim Muris and Bob Pitofsky

For over nine years, ending in 2004, one of the authors was Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. This dialog discusses their largely consistent views regarding the Agency's mission. They discuss the broad reach of FTC policy across the antitrust and consumer protection landscape. They emphasize the Commission's important law enforcement mission, while also stressing that the FTC is much more. The Commission has a vital role in identifying, studying, and being an advocate for consumers regarding crucial public policy issues throughout the economy.
The Effects of Teaching Parents Blended Communication and Behavior Support Strategies.

A multiple-probe single-subject research design was used to measure the effects of an intervention to teach parents to support communication and manage the behavior of their preschool children. Fou...