cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wave nature of fractal lacunarity: a higher resolution scale to capture subtle changes in ECG signals

Lacunarity is a feature of a fractal set. Its wave nature was predicted theoretically by Bloomenfeld and Mandelbrot. In this paper, we present our result confirming the existence of wave nature of lacunarity for ECG signals which are statistical fractal sets. We have applied this wave nature of lacunarity to capture the subtle changes in ECG signals in a very short time span of about one minute to predict occurrence of termination of atrial fibrillation for a subject, whose ECG is being monitored continuously. This method can be used to detect the minute subtle changes of ECG signals which are caused by other physiological events as well and needs further investigation to standardize it
Light‐Activated Nanoimpeller‐Controlled Drug Release in Cancer Cells

Nanomechanical systems that are designed to trap and release molecules from pores in response to a stimulus are currently the subject of intense investigation.[1–23] Such systems have potential applications for precise drug delivery. A photo-activated material, for example, could release a drug under external control at a specific time and location for phototherapy. Nanomaterials suitable for this type of operation must consist of both an appropriate container and a photoactivated moving component.
The Central American land bridge as an engine of diversification in New World doves

Aim The closure of the Central American land-bridge connection between North and South America 3.5 million years ago was a major biogeographic event that allowed considerable interchange of the previously isolated faunas of these continents. However, the role that this connection may have had in diversification of North and South American faunas is less well understood. The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential role of the formation of this land connection in generating diversity, through repeated rare dispersal events followed by isolation. Location North and South America. Methods We evaluated the role of the Central American land-bridge connection in avian diversification using a molecular phylogeny based on four gene regions for mid-sized New World doves. Diversification events were dated using a Bayesian relaxed clock analysis and internal calibration points for endemic island taxa with known island ages. Results The reconstructed phylogenetic tree was well supported and recovered monophyly of the genera Leptotila and Zenaida, but the quail-doves (Geotrygon) were paraphyletic, falling into three separate lineages. The phylogeny indicated at least nine dispersal-driven divergence events between North and South America. There were also five dispersal events in the recent past that have not yet led to differentiation of taxa (polymorphic taxa). Main conclusions Most of these dispersal-driven diversification events occurred at the time of or after the formation of the Central American land bridge, indicating that this land connection played a role in facilitating divergence via dispersal of doves between continents.
The Effect of Twitter on College Student Engagement and Grades

Despite the widespread use of social media by students and its increased use by instructors, very little empirical evidence is available concerning the impact of social media use on student learning and engagement. This paper describes our semester-long experimental study to determine if using Twitter – the microblogging and social networking platform most amenable to ongoing, public dialogue – for educationally relevant purposes can impact college student engagement and grades. A total of 125 students taking a first year seminar course for pre-health professional majors participated in this study (70 in the experimental group and 55 in the control group). With the experimental group, Twitter was used for various types of academic and co-curricular discussions. Engagement was quantified by using a 19-item scale based on the National Survey of Student Engagement. To assess differences in engagement and grades, we used mixed effects analysis of variance (ANOVA) models, with class sections nested within treatment groups. We also conducted content analyses of samples of Twitter exchanges. The ANOVA results showed that the experimental group had a significantly greater increase in engagement than the control group, as well as higher semester grade point averages. Analyses of Twitter communications showed that students and faculty were both highly engaged in the learning process in ways that transcended traditional classroom activities. This study provides experimental evidence that Twitter can be used as an educational tool to help engage students and to mobilize faculty into a more active and participatory role.
Calibration Procedure for a Time Domain Relectometry (TDR) Apparatus to Measure Volumetric Water Content in Pyroclastic Soils

This technical report describes an experimental procedure to calibrate a Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) system to measure volumetric water content in pyroclastic soils. The TDR technique is based on the measure of dielectric constant of a soil to estimate its volumetric water content. Even thought the well known experimental tests performed by Topp et al. (1980) evidenced as the variation of dielectric constant in a soil is closely connected to the change of its water content, other authors (Regalado et al. 2001, Regalado et al. 2003, Roth et al. 1992, Tomer et al. 1999, Weitz et al. 1997) have showed that for a volcanic soil other factors as porosity, bulk density and surface area can affect the variation of soil dielectric constant. For this reason the authors suggest to perform always an appropriate calibration phase before use TDR. As the TDR technique will be employed in the experimental test performed with lisimeter to investigate the water retention curve of pyroclastic soils, the calibration of TDR apparatus is necessary to estimate the correct relationship between the variation of water content and the related change of the idro-mechanical behaviour of the soil.
CONSTRAINED TRAJECTORY GENERATION FOR MICRO-SATELLITE FORMATION FLYING

Station-keeping and reorientation control ofa cluster off ully-actuated low-thrust micro-satellites is considered in this paper. We propose a very general optimization based control methodology to solve constrained trajectory generation problems for stationkeeping and reorientation. By taking advantage ofthe f ully-actuated structure ofthe micro-satellite, it is possible to compute the control on-board the micro-satellites. Performance of this methodology is reported for a typical micro-satellite formation flying space mission using the Nonlinear Trajectory Generation software package.
Multi-Layered Performance Monitoring for Cloud Computing Applications

Abstract Cloud computing revolutionizes the way large amounts of data are processed and offers a compelling paradigm to organizations. An increasing number of data-intensive scientific applications are being ported to cloud environments such as virtualized clusters, in order to take advantage of increased cost-efficiency, flexibility, scalability, improved hardware utilization and reduced carbon footprint, among others. However, due to the complexity of the application execution environment, routine tasks such as monitoring, performance analysis and debugging of applications deployed on the cloud become cumbersome and complex. These tasks often require close interaction and inspection of multiple layers in the application and system software stack. For example, when analyzing a distributed application that has been provisioned on a cluster of virtual machines, a researcher might need to monitor the execution of his program on the VMs, or the availability of physical resources to the VMs. This would require the researcher to use different sets of tools to collect and analyze performance data from each level. Otus is a tool that enables resource attribution in clusters and currently reports only the virtual resource utilization and not the physical resource utilization on virtualized clusters. This is insufficient to fully understand application behavior on a cloud platform; it would fail to account for the state of the physical infrastructure, its availability or the variation in load by other VMs on the same physical host, for example. We are extending Otus to collect metrics from multiple layers, starting with the Hypervisor. Otus can now collect information from both the VM level as well as the Hypervisor level; and this information is collected in an OpenTSDB database, which is scalable to large clusters. A web-based application allows the researcher to selectively visualize these metrics in real-time or for a particular time range in the past. We have tested our multi-layered monitoring technique on several Hadoop Mapreduce applications and clearly identified the causes of several performance problems that would otherwise not be clear using existing methods. Apart from helping researchers understand application needs, our technique could also help accelerate the development and testing of new platforms for cloud researchers.
Optimization of volunteer labor assignments

Abstract Labor is a crucial resource in most organizations. In not-for-profit, public, and government services, it is common for labor to include unpaid volunteers. This article demonstrates how the volunteer labor assignment (VLA) problem is markedly different from traditional labor assignment (TLA) problems such as labor scheduling. One core difference pertains to the cost structure of labor, where TLA problems seek to minimize labor costs, yet labor costs for volunteers are usually trivial. Another difference is the assumed size of the labor pool: TLA typically assumes sufficient labor to cover task requirements, whereas the VLA labor pool is limited by the number of volunteers that can be recruited. These and other distinctions coming from the volunteerism literature are described and confirmed with empirical data. One important finding is that volunteers who were not utilized had a reduced propensity to volunteer in the future. These VLA distinctions are incorporated into an integer goal program. Empirical data are used to demonstrate how VLA assumptions produce solutions that are significantly different from solutions coming from TLA assumptions. Sensitivity analysis is described, as are applications in other VLA contexts.
Child protection and domestic violence: Training, practice, and policy issues

This article traces the experiences of four of the five Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) recipients who received funding to provide domestic violence training to child welfare agencies in four areas of the United States.1 The article begins with the developing research that documents the connection between child abuse and domestic violence and explores the fertile ground for tensions between battered women and their advocates and child protective service (CPS) workers. The article also presents findings from the experiences of the DHHS funded programs, their accomplishments, and the obstacles they faced in integrating domestic violence into child welfare practice with the ultimate goal of protecting the mother-child unit. Finally, it concludes with practice and policy recommendations for researchers and practitioners who are working at the intersection of these abuses.
Videofluoroscopic and nasendoscopic correlates of speech in velopharyngeal dysfunction

Objective: To compare videonasendoscopy, lateral videofluoroscopy, and perceptual speech examination in the assessment of velopharyngeal dysfunction. Design: Retrospective observational. Setting: Multidisciplinary cleft palate team at a tertiary academic institution. Patients, Participants: Patients who had undergone videonasendoscopy and lateral videofluoroscopy for suspected velopharyngeal dysfunction at our center were evaluated. Inclusion required that videonasendoscopy, lateral videofluoroscopy, and the perceptual speech exam were performed on the same day. A total of 88 patients were analyzed. Main Outcome Measure(s): Primary outcome measures included percent closure on videonasendoscopy, percent closure on lateral videofluoroscopy, and quantitative scores for hypernasal resonance, nasal emission, and facial grimace. Additional outcome measures included linear and angular anatomic measurements obtained from lateral videofluoroscopy. Results: Moderately strong correlation was found between closure es...
Compliance with universal precautions in a medical practice with a high rate of HIV infection.

Background: Universal precautions have been recommended to limit occupational exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other infectious agents, but whether these recommendations have been incorporated into routine practice has not been demonstrated. Methods: Using a one-group, before-after design, we assessed the knowledge and attitudes concerning universal precautions and the level of compliance with these recommendations. The health care professionals had various levels of training and worked in an ambulatory practice with a high rate of HIV. A total of 195 procedures involving potential exposure to various body fluids were observed. Results: No improvement in compliance with recommended precautions was observed following a didactic educational program for either latex glove use (44 percent versus 49 percent, χ2 0.2) or appropriate use of hand washing (34 percent versus 47 percent, χ2 = 3.38, P = 0.07). Faculty demonstrated the lowest levels of adherence to universal precautions. While knowledge of precautions was high, staff members at all levels overestimated their own compliance with these recommendations. Conclusions: Although the number of observations limits the conclusions, the results suggest that the basic protective measures included in universal precautions are not being routinely applied in ambulatory medical practice. Furthermore, didactic educational programs might not be sufficient to improve compliance. Finally, faculty in training programs should monitor their own compliance with universal precautions because of their responsibilities as role models for physicians in training.
Burning Mouth Syndrome Responsive to Duloxetine: (A Case Report) (P07.273)

Objective: Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) or Glossodynia (also known as “Burning tongue” and “Orodynia”) is a condition characterized by a burning or tingling sensation on the lips, tongue, or entire mouth. It is typically a chronic, idiopathic, intraoral mucosal pain condition in the absence of specific oral lesions and systemic disease. CASE : I would like to report a case of a 60-year-old woman in good health with history of insomnia for 2 years taking only Zolpidem (Ambien) 10 mg at night and Paroxetine 37.5 mg daily at home. She stopped taking Paroxetine (Paxil) abruptly 1.5 years earlier for empirical treatment of depression. Since this time, she complained of her tongue being ripped and her mouth feeling that it is “on fire.” She was given a clinical diagnosis of Burning Mouth Syndrome with Sjogren9s syndrome in the differential. She was started on Duloxetine (Cymbalta) 60 mg po daily, resulting in a complete remission of her symptoms including clinical depression. Her burning mouth resolved after 1 week of starting Duloxetine 30 mg po daily and her clinical depression resolved after 4 weeks of taking Duloxetine 60 mg po daily. Her quality of life and level of functioning went back to her baseline. Background The exact pathogenesis of BMS is not clear. Possible causes include nutritional deficiencies, chronic anxiety or depression, type 2 diabetes, menopause, oral disorders such as thrush or dry mouth, or an underlying neuropathic mechanism. It is possible that there is a dysfunction in the trigeminal nociceptive pathways at the level of the peripheral and/or central nervous system. Conclusions: Duloxetine might be a useful and effective treatment of BMS in addition to its other uses with Major Depression, Diabetic Neuropathy, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Fibromyalgia, and Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain. Disclosure: Dr. Guterman has nothing to disclose.
Genetic Varieties of Jouberts Syndrome

Four families with linkage to two loci for Jouberts syndrome (JS), JBTS1 or JBTS2, and clinical and radiographic correlations for 4 known genetic causes of JS-related disorders (JSRD) are described in a report from University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA, and centers in Europe and the Middle East.
Analysis on the prevention and control effect of iodine deficiency disorders in Guangxi

Objective To evaluate the prevention and control effect of iodine deficiency disorˉders(IDD)in Guangxi.Methods Investigating1233pupils in30counties by probability proportionˉate to size(PPS),determining thyroid size by palpation and ultrasonography,measuring urinary ioˉdine level by ceric ammonium sulfate assay,iodine levels in salt by standard titration method and thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH)by the enzyme_linked immunosorbant assay(ELISA)respectiveˉly.Results The prevalence of thyroid enlargement in children aged8～10years is6.9%by palpaˉtion and9.5%by ultrasonography.Proportions of effectively iodine salt at factory,wholesale,retail,household and school level are84.06%,83.44%,94.20%,93.53%and94.26%,respectively.Median of urinary iodine level among360pupils is367.6μg/L,of90.63%above100μg/L.Median of TSH among541neonates is1.90mU/L,of8.50%above5.0mU/L.Conclusion The phase target for elimination IDD has been achieved in Guangxi by the year of2000after universal salt iodization for33years.
Web 2.0 in organizations: controlling openness?

Web 2.0 in Organizations: Controlling Openness? Preeti Rao, Purdue University Abstract Technological advancements are influencing the ways in which people interact in organizational and societal contexts. Today, Web 2.0 technologies fundamentally affect human creativity in interacting, communicating and sharing information online. While very popular among people in social contexts, organizations are quickly adopting social media technologies as well. Studies have shown that while organizations realize the benefits and values of Web 2.0 technologies, the security and productivity risks of Web 2.0 adoption remain barriers today. This research study addresses the question: "Are organizations able to harness the value of Web 2.0 while controlling its inherent openness?" The study analyzed a set of in-depth interviews (N=25) of experts in the field of social media from the industry, market and academia. The methodological analysis was conducted using content analysis and semantic network analysis using Leximancer software. The robustness of the analysis process is attributed to both thematic and relational analysis of the content, followed by statistical significance testing of the results obtained. The results indicate four major themes in the content: organizations, people, security and policy. Openness, which is an inherent characteristic of Web 2.0, consisted of concepts like "create", "share", "post" which refer to Web 2.0's idea of users contributing and sharing information online. Control, which could be termed as an organizational construct for managing information security risks, consisted of concepts like "control", "monitor", "policy", "trust". Results revealed that openness is more associated with conceptual themes of people than with themes of organizations. At the same time, themes of organizations are linked with semantic constructs of control more than openness. This suggests that while organizations recognize the value of Web 2.0, they seek to exercise control over the inherent openness of such tools. This organizational tension of balancing openness with control of Web 2.0 technologies can be attributed to the fact that Web 2.0 tools are fundamentally tools to create, share and transmit (potentially sensitive) information beyond corporate networks and its control.
A Unique Pattern on Memory Testing in Dementia Screening Predicts Obstructive Sleep Apnea (I9.007)

Objective: The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) is a test used to screen for dementia. A unique pattern of Immediate Memory lower than Delayed Memory scores (IM Disclosure: Dr. Gerber has nothing to disclose. Dr. Dexter has nothing to disclose.
Knowledge in Action

It is argued that knowledge is a form of action. It is a kind of successful attempt to attain the truth. The success must avoid a particular sort of “epistemic luck”. It must derive from competence rather than luck. Knowledge, then, is a judgment or belief that aims at truth and attains accuracy not by luck but through the agent’s cognitive adroitness, so that the attainment is apt. A higher grade of knowledge then requires that the agent attain aptly not only the accuracy (truth) but even the aptness of that first-order success. This more fully apt success is on a higher level of epistemic achievement, and in this respect is a special case of a general truth of performance normativity that applies across domains of human performance, whether in the arts, in sports, in the professions, and so on. An attempt in general reaches that higher level of achievement by being not only apt but fully apt.
Tritium health physics considerations.

Although tritium is not an external radiation hazard, it can present serious contamination problems. The radioactivity properties are shown in Table I and the maximum permissible concentration for tritiated water is shown in Table II.
Robotic assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy with stentless intracorporeal modified Ves.Pa neobladder: early experience

This study aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of robotic assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy with pure intracorporeal modified Ves.Pa neobladder with stentless ureteroileal anastomosis. Pure intracorporeal robotic assisted laparoscopic technique has been recently developed with a select number of high-volume centers utilizing various operative and neobladder techniques. We reviewed the patient characteristics, operative details and perioperative courses in the two patients who have undergone robotic assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy with pure intracorporeal modified Ves.Pa neobladder and one who has undergone the Hautmann W neobladder. These results were compared to other contemporary robotic neobladder series. We demonstrate technical success with similar operative and perioperative results with the modified Ves.Pa neobladder. The robotic pure intracorporeal modified Ves.Pa neobladder is a technically feasible operation and may be easier to perform compared to other neobladders. Initial experience suggests operative time and perioperative outcomes are similar to other robotic techniques.
Monitoring of the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle represents another option for neural monitoring during thyroid surgery: Normative vagal and recurrent laryngeal nerve posterior cricoarytenoid muscle electromyographic data.

Objective Intraoperative neural monitoring (IONM) of laryngeal nerves using electromyography (EMG) is routinely performed using endotracheal tube surface electrodes adjacent to the vocalis muscles. Other laryngeal muscles such as the posterior cricoarytenoid muscle (PCA) are indirectly monitored. The PCA may be directly and reliably monitored through an electrode placed in the postcricoid region. Herein, we describe the method and normative data for IONM using PCA EMG. Study Design Retrospective review. Methods Data were reviewed retrospectively for thyroid and parathyroid surgery patients with IONM of laryngeal nerves from January to August 2016. Recordings of vocalis and PCA EMG amplitudes and latencies with stimulation of laryngeal nerves were obtained using endotracheal (ET) tube-based and postcricoid surface electrodes. Results Data comprised EMG responses in vocalis and PCA recording channels with stimulation of the vagus, recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN), and external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve from 20 subjects (11 left, 9 right), as well as PCA EMG threshold data with RLN stimulation from 17 subjects. Mean EMG amplitude was 725.69 ± 108.58 microvolts (µV) for the ipsilateral vocalis and 329.44 ± 34.12 µV for the PCA with vagal stimulation, and 1,059.75 ± 140.40 µV for the ipsilateral vocalis and 563.88 ± 116.08 µV for the PCA with RLN stimulation. There were no statistically significant differences in mean latency. For threshold cutoffs of the PCA with RLN stimulation, mean minimum and maximum threshold intensities were 0.37 milliamperes (mA) and 0.84 mA, respectively. Conclusion This study shows robust and reliable PCA EMG waveforms with direct nerve stimulation. Further studies will evaluate feasibility and application of the PCA electrode as a complementary quantitative tool in IONM. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 128:283–289, 2018
Genesis of an Employee Wellness Program at a Large University.

University employee wellness programs have potential to support positive changes in employee health, thereby improving productivity and mitigating the rise in health care costs. The purpose of this...
TRPC5 is required for the NO-dependent increase in dendritic Ca2+ and GABA release from chick retinal amacrine cells.

Elucidating the mechanisms regulating GABAergic synaptic transmission in the inner retina is key to understanding the flexibility of retinal ganglion cell output. Here, we demonstrate that nitric o...
Lessons in Program Evaluation: The ACTV Batterer Program Study and Its Claims.

The “Evaluation of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) curriculum for domestic violence offenders” illustrates the methodological issues associated with interpreting program evaluations and applying them to policy. Despite the “preliminary” evidence, the authors promote ACTV as more effective in terms of recidivism compared with DU/CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy) programming. A more critical consideration of the research, however, exposes further limitations that counter the initial speculations and interpretations of the study outcome. Consequently, the effectiveness of ACTV over the DU/CBT option remains in question and raises the need for a broader discourse on program effectiveness.
Ranking Renewable and Fossil Fuels on Global Warming Potential Using Respiratory Quotient Concept

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the greenhouse gases which cause global warming. The amount of fossil fuels consumed to meet the demands in the areas of power and transportation is projected to increase in the upcoming years. Depending on carbon content, each power plant fuel has its own potential to produce carbon dioxide. Similarly, the humans consume food containing carbohydrates (CH), fat, and protein which emit CO2 due to metabolism. The biology literature uses respiratory quotient (RQ), defined as the ratio of CO2 moles exhausted per mole of O2 consumed within the body, to estimate CO2 loading in the blood stream and CO2 in nasal exhaust. Here, we apply that principle in the field of combustion to relate the RQ to CO2 emitted in tons per GJ of energy released when a fuel is combusted. The RQ value of a fuel can be determined either from fuel chemical formulae (from ultimate analyses for most liquid and solid fuels of known composition) or from exhaust gas analyses. RQ ranges from 0.5 for methane (CH4) to 1 for pure carbon. Based on the results obtained, the lesser the value of “RQ” of a fuel, the lower its global warming potential. This methodology can be further extended for an “online instantaneous measurement of CO2” in automobiles based on actual fuel use irrespective of fuel composition.
Cancer in sea turtles.

Sea Turtles Sea turtles are one of the oldest extant groups of animals, and they have changed little in basic anatomy for millions of years. Sea turtles are found throughout the world, and depending on the species, range from warm tropical water to frigid oceans near the arctic. They can be herbivores, omnivores, or carnivores and can be quite large. For example, the largest species of sea turtle, the leatherback, can weigh several hundred kilos. All sea turtles have an oceanic existence. Males spend almost their entire life in the ocean. After mating, females crawl onto nesting beaches where they dig a nest, lay eggs, and return to the ocean. Several weeks later, these eggs hatch, and baby turtles disappear out to sea (no one knows exactly where). Eventually, juvenile turtles return to foraging grounds where they eventually mature to adults. Adults then migrate, sometimes many thousands of kilometers, to their breeding and nesting grounds where the cycle begins again. Sea turtles live for many (40+ years). Of the seven species of sea turtles, all are listed as threatened or endangered by the Endangered Species Act. Major threats to sea turtles worldwide include overharvesting of meat and eggs for human consumption from nesting beaches for consumption, bycatch of sea turtles from fi sheries, and disease. Hawaii has two coastal species of sea turtles, the hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the far more numerous green turtle (Chelonia mydas). The major nesting grounds for green turtles in Hawaii are at French Frigate Shoals in the Northwestern Hawaiian islands (~500 miles from Oahu); the main Hawaiian islands harbor the foraging pastures where you can see juvenile and adult green turtles grazing on marine algae. Since green turtles were listed as protected, the numbers of adults on nesting beaches has increased steadily.
Total abdominal vagotomy and drainage

Vagotomy has emerged as the cornerstone of surgical therapy in peptic ulcer. Total abdominal or truncal vagotomy not only denervates the acid-secreting part of the stomach but also the antropyloric mechanism that controls gastric emptying. Hence, truncal vagotomy causes significant impairment of gastric emptying. It must, therefore, be combined with a drainage procedure (pyloroplasty or gastroenterostomy) to obviate the problem of gastric stasis. Although truncal vagotomy and drainage can be performed transthoracically, the procedure is more easily accomplished through the abdominal route.
Synthesis, structures, and reactivity studies of cyclometalated N-heterocyclic carbene complexes of ruthenium

An unusual cyclometalation reaction results from a C-C bond activation in Cp*(IPr)RuCl to give Cp*(IPr')Ru(L) featuring a NHC-C(sp2) chelating ligand (5-L; L = propene, N2; IPr = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene; IPr' = 1-(6-isopropylphenyl)-3-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene). DFT calculations were employed to elucidate the C-C bond activation pathway. Reactions of cyclometalated ruthenium complexes bearing NHC-C(sp2) and NHC-C(sp3) ligands (5-L and Cp*(IXy-H)Ru(N2), 1a, respectively where IXy = 1,3-bis(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-imidazol-2-ylidene; IXy-H is the deprotonated form of (IXy)) are reported. Deprotonation of 1a by an equimolar mixture of benzyl potassium and 18-crown-6 afforded a doubly-cyclometalated complex [Cp*(IXy-2H)Ru][K(18-crown-6)] (7). A lower CO stretching frequency in Cp*(IXy-H)Ru(CO) (8) vs. Cp*(IPr')Ru(CO) (9) suggests that the NHC-C(sp3) ligand is more electron donating. Complexes 5-L reacted with H2 to give the dihydride Cp*(IPr')RuH2 (11). In comparison, after an initial oxidative addition of H2, complex 1a with its more reactive Ru-C(sp3) bond underwent C-H bond reductive elimination, and a second oxidative addition of H2 afforded the trihydride Cp*(IXy)RuH3 (10). Reaction of 1a with B(C6F5)3 resulted in a zwitterionic complex Cp*Ru(IXy'') (12; IXy'' = 1-[2-((C6F5)3BCH2)C6H3-6-methyl]-3-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene-1-yl) by the formation of a new C-B bond. In contrast, B(C6F5)3 abstracted a hydride from 5-L and promoted a very unusual C-C bond formation involving insertion of an allyl ligand into a Ru-C bond to form [Cp*Ru(IPr'')][HB(C6F5)3] (IPr'' = 1-[2-(CH2[double bond, length as m-dash]CHCH2)C6H3-6-isopropyl]-3-(2,6-diisopropyl)imidazol-2-ylidene-1-yl) (13).
CRX directs photoreceptor differentiation by accelerating chromatin remodeling at specific target sites.

Recent technological advances have delivered the genome-wide targets of many important transcription factors (TFs). However, increasing evidence suggests that not all target sites mediate regulatory function, raising the questions of how to determine which sites are active, what are the epigenetic consequences of TF binding at these sites, and how the specificity is coded. To address these questions, we focused on CRX, a disease-associated homeodomain TF required for photoreceptor gene expression and development. Since CRX binds more than 6000 sites across the genome in the retina, we profiled chromatin landscape changes at each binding site during normal development and in the absence of CRX and interpreted the results by thorough investigation of other epigenomic datasets and sequence features. CRX is required for chromatin remodeling at only a subset of its binding sites, which undergo retina or neuronal specific activation during photoreceptor differentiation. Genes near these “CRX Dependent” sites code for proteins important for photoreceptor physiology and function, and their transcription is significantly reduced in Crx deficient retinas. In addition, the nucleotide and motif content distinguish these CRX Dependent sites from other CRX-bound sites. Together, our results suggest that CRX acts only at select, uniquely-coded binding sites to accelerate chromatin remodeling during photoreceptor differentiation. This study emphasizes the importance of connecting TF binding with its functional consequences and provides a framework for making such a connection using comparative analyses of available genomic datasets. Finally, this study prioritizes sets of non-coding DNA sites for future functional interrogation and identification of mutations associated with retinal disease.
Neoadjuvant Stereotactic Radiosurgery Before Surgical Resection of Cerebral Metastases

Objective Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has redefined the treatment paradigm for cerebral metastases. The benefits of SRS after surgical resection of a metastatic brain tumor have been well-defined. However, it is unclear whether preoperative SRS can improve the outcomes in select patients. The present study examined the safety and efficacy of preoperative neoadjuvant SRS (NaSRS) for the treatment of cerebral metastases. Methods We performed a retrospective review of 12 patients treated at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. All patients underwent NaSRS, followed by surgical resection of a cerebral metastasis, from 2011 to 2015. Recurrence and overall survival were characterized using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank analyses. Results The mean age was 57.5 years (range, 39–69). The median follow-up period was 13 months (range, 1–22.6). The median maximum tumor diameter was 3.66 cm (range, 2.19–4.85). The 6- and 12-month local control rates were 81.8% and 49.1%, respectively. The distant disease control rates were 72.7% and 14.5% at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Overall survival was 83.3% and 74.1% at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Two patients developed leptomeningeal disease at a mean of 11.3 months. A trend toward increased local failure was seen with larger tumor volumes and diameters (P = 0.06). Conclusions NaSRS is a promising new approach for the treatment of select cerebral metastases that require surgical intervention. The approach is safe and effective at achieving local control. Further randomized studies with larger patient cohorts are necessary to determine whether the long-term outcomes are improved.
Growth and Reproduction of Echeneis Naucrates From the Eastern Gulf of Mexico

This study describes growth and reproductive characteristics of a facultative elasmobranch symbiont, Echeneis naucrates. Females grew slower but achieved a larger size than males (growth coefficient, K = 0.25 and 0.38 year-1 , and mean maximum size, L∞ = 603 and 477 mm, respectively). Mean relative batch fecundity was 39.5 (s.d. = 13.1). Gonadosomatic indices peaked in July and August for males and females, respectively, with histology evidence of readiness to spawn or active spawning in August. Host-symbiont length ratios increased linearly with sharksucker length (y = 0.0402 + 0.0003x, adjusted R2 = 0.56).
An essential role of transcription factors PU.1 and IRF8 in follicular B cell development and the germinal center response

The transcription factors PU.1 and IRF8 regulate an unknown number of gene programs for differentiation of many hematopoietic cells including B cells, dendritic cells and myeloid cells. Their roles in B cell development were previously studied using B cell-specific conditional deletion mouse models, such as PU.1flox/flox-CD19Cre, IRF8flox/flox-CD19Cre, IRF8−/−PU.1flox/flox-CD19Cre, or IRF8flox/flox-PU.1flox/flox-CD19Cre mice. While PU.1-deficient B cells are phenotypically normal, deletion of IRF8 in B cells caused a moderate expansion of marginal zone B cells. Double deletion of PU.1 and IRF8 caused moderate expansion of plasma cells (PCs) in vitro. In this report, we investigated IRF8 and PU.1 double deletion mice using Mb1-Cre - termed DKO mice. FACS analysis revealed normal levels of early stage B cells in the bone marrow and transitional B cells in the spleens of DKO mice. However, follicular B cells were markedly reduced and the MZ B cell compartment was modestly expanded in DKO mice. The peritoneal CD5 + B-1a cells, which are a major source of circulating IgM, were completely absent in DKO mice. Surprisingly, the serum levels of IgM were higher and the levels of IgG3 and IgA were slightly lower in DKO than control mice. While the levels of serum IgG1 were comparable between DKO and control mice, DKO mice had no serum IgG2b or IgG2c antibodies. More intriguingly, following immunization with NP-KLH/alum, although the DKO mice produced more IgM-secreting PCs early on, they failed to generate germinal centers and produced markedly reduced levels of NP-specific switched IgG antibodies. Taken together, these data revealed a critical role of IRF8 and PU.1 in differentiation of follicular and germinal center B cells.
Gas breakdown and its scaling law in microgaps with multiple concentric cathode protrusions

This paper reports gas breakdown characteristics in microgaps with multiple concentric protrusions on the cathode in the transition from the Townsend to the subnormal glow discharge regime, using a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model. The effects of the protrusion aspect ratio, height, and protrusion spacing on the breakdown voltage are investigated. The results show that when the protrusion spacing is small, the shielding effect can play a more important role in the breakdown voltage rather than the protrusion aspect ratio; the breakdown voltage is more sensitive to the protrusion height and can be assessed by the shortest gap distance. Increasing the protrusion spacing decreases the shielding effect, which lowers the breakdown voltage in both low- and high-pressure regimes. It is found that the breakdown scaling law still holds in geometrically similar microgaps with multiple cathode protrusions despite the electric field distortion.
A macrocrystalline attapulgite-palygorskite occurrence in calcite veins

Fibrous attapulgite-palygorskite, with fibers generally measuring several millimeters in length, is found associated with calcite in hydrothermally deposited veins. The veins represent fracture filling in a shear zone through Triassic siltstone (Brunswick Formation) near Limerick, Pennsylvania. Heretofore attapulgite-palygorskite has been known to occur only in the form ofmicrocrystalline to cryptocrystalline aggregates. The macrocrystalline character of this occurrence is attributed to recrystallization took place during an episode of mild deformation or slippage along the vein contacts.
Sentinel lymph node positivity in patients undergoing mastectomies for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)

Current guidelines recommend sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for patients undergoing mastectomy for a preoperative diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). We examined the factors associated with sentinel lymph node positivity for patients undergoing mastectomy for a diagnosis of DCIS on preoperative core biopsy (PCB). The Institutional Breast Cancer Database was queried for patients with PCB demonstrating pure DCIS followed by mastectomy and SLNB from 2010 to 2018. Patients were divided according to final pathology (DCIS or invasive cancer). Clinico-pathologic variables were analyzed using Pearson's chi-squared, Wilcoxon Rank-Sum and logistic regression. Of 3145 patients, 168(5%) had pure DCIS on PCB and underwent mastectomy with SLNB. On final mastectomy pathology, 120(71%) patients had DCIS with 0 positive sentinel lymph nodes (PSLNs) and 48(29%) patients had invasive carcinoma with 5(10%) cases of ≥1 PSLNs. Factors positively associated with upstaging to invasive cancer in univariate analysis included age (P = .0289), palpability (P < .0001), extent of disease on imaging (P = .0121), mass on preoperative imaging (P = .0003), multifocality (P = .0231) and multicentricity (P = .0395). In multivariate analysis, palpability (P = .0080), extent of disease on imaging (P = .0074) and mass on preoperative imaging (P = .0245) remained significant (Table 2). In a subset of patients undergoing mastectomy for DCIS with limited disease on preoperative evaluation, SLNB may be omitted as the risk of upstaging is low. However, patients who present with clinical findings of palpability, large extent of disease on imaging and mass on preoperative imaging have a meaningful risk of upstaging to invasive cancer, and SLNB remains important for management.
Sleep Duration Patterns in Early to Middle Adulthood and Subsequent Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women

OBJECTIVE To identify sleep duration trajectories from early to middle adulthood and their associations with incident type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Using a group-based modeling approach, we identified sleep duration trajectories based on sleep duration in ages 20–25, 26–35, 36–45, and 46+ years, which were retrospectively assessed in 2009 among 60,068 women from the Nurses’ Health Study II (median age 54.9 years) who were free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. We investigated the prospective associations between sleep duration trajectories and diabetes risk (2009–2017) using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS We documented 1,797 incident diabetes cases over a median follow-up of 7.8 years (442,437 person-years). Six sleep duration trajectories were identified: persistent 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-h sleep duration and increased or decreased sleep duration. After multivariable adjustment for diabetes risk factors, compared with the persistent 7-h sleep duration group, the hazard ratio was 1.43 (95% CI 1.10, 1.84) for the 5-h group, 1.17 (1.04, 1.33) for the 6-h group, 0.96 (0.84, 1.10) for the 8-h group, 1.33 (1.09, 1.61) for the increased sleep duration group, and 1.32 (1.10, 1.59) for the decreased sleep duration group. Additional adjustment for time-updated comorbidities and BMI attenuated these associations, although a significantly higher risk remained in the decreased sleep duration group (1.24 [1.03, 1.50]). CONCLUSIONS Persistent short sleep duration or changes in sleep duration from early to middle adulthood were associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes in later life. These associations were weaker after obesity and metabolic comorbidities were accounted for.
Competing Objective Optimization in Networked Swarm Systems

In this paper, we develop a decentralized collaborative sensing algorithm where the sensors are located on-board autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles. We develop this algorithm in the context of a target tracking application, where the objective is to maximize the tracking performance measured by the mean- squared error between the target state estimate and the ground truth. The tracking performance depends on the quality of the target measurements made at the sensors, which depends on the relative location of the sensors with respect to the target. Our goal is to control the motion of the swarm of vehicles with on-board sensors to maximize target tracking performance. Each sensor (on-board the vehicle) generates local noisy measurements of the target location, and the sensors maintain and update target state estimates via Bayesian data fusion rules using local measurements and the information received from neighboring sensors. The quality of the data fusion depends on the network graph over which the sensors exchange information, and this determines the overall target tracking performance. We also assume that each sensor is powered by a limited energy source; which we assume is drained by how frequently sensors exchange information. The goal is to optimize the collective motion of the vehicles/sensors (also determines the network graph connectivity) such that the mean-squared target tracking error and the network energy costs are jointly minimized. This problem belongs to a class of hard optimization problems called conflicting objective limited resource optimization (COLRO). We develop a fast heuristic algorithm, using dynamic programming principles, to solve this COLRO problem in real-time.
Pulmonary Edema and Stunned Myocardium in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is a life-threatening event that can cause permanent disability. This life-threatening event can be further complicated by subsequent cardiac and pulmonary disability. The presence of a neurogenic cardiomyopathy and pulmonary edema increases the morbidity and mortality of patients who suffer from aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. In this paper, we discuss a 39-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department (ED) with a chief complaint of a pounding headache with associated nausea and vomiting for the past three days. She had a past medical history significant only for migraines. During her stay in the ED, she began to exhibit signs of altered consciousness, hemoptysis, and respiratory compromise. Neuroimaging showed evidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage. The exact source of her subarachnoid hemorrhage could not be located with neuroimaging or angiography. Her clinical course was complicated by pulmonary edema and neurogenic stunned myocardium, and is still ongoing.
Digging Deeper: Engaging in Reflexivity in Interpretivist-Constructivist and Critical Leisure Research

As interpretivist-constructivist and critical scholarship has advanced within leisure science, so too does the need for more comprehensive approaches for reflexivity. Reflexivity, which can be desc...
Automated Test Generation for Hardware Trojan Detection using Reinforcement Learning

Due to globalized semiconductor supply chain, there is an increasing risk of exposing System-on-Chip (SoC) designs to malicious implants, popularly known as hardware Trojans. Unfortunately, traditional simulation-based validation using millions of test vectors is unsuitable for detecting stealthy Trojans with extremely rare trigger conditions due to exponential input space complexity of modern SoCs. There is a critical need to develop efficient Trojan detection techniques to ensure trustworthy SoCs. While there are promising test generation approaches, they have serious limitations in terms of scalability and detection accuracy. In this paper, we propose a novel logic testing approach for Trojan detection using an effective combination of testability analysis and reinforcement learning. Specifically, this paper makes three important contributions. 1) Unlike existing approaches, we utilize both controllability and observability analysis along with rareness of signals to significantly improve the trigger coverage. 2) Utilization of reinforcement learning considerably reduces the test generation time without sacrificing the test quality. 3) Experimental results demonstrate that our approach can drastically improve both trigger coverage (14.5% on average) and test generation time (6.5 times on average) compared to state-of-the-art techniques.