cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A fast and simple high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method for simultaneous measurement of whole blood tacrolimus and sirolimus.

Abstract Context.—Combined immunosuppressant therapy using tacrolimus and sirolimus has demonstrable benefits. Simultaneous chromatographic monitoring of whole blood tacrolimus and sirolimus is useful for reducing reagent consumption and turnaround time. We report here a simple and rapid method using high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry for simultaneous measurement of whole blood tacrolimus and sirolimus. Objective.—To develop and validate a high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method that is suitable for clinical laboratories and that is simple, rapid, and cost-effective. Design.—Whole blood (80 μL) was mixed with zinc sulfate solution, followed by protein precipitation with acetonitrile containing the internal standards. After brief centrifugation, the supernatant (20 μL) was injected onto a C18 guard column. The drug and the internal standard ammonium adducts were monitored by multiple reaction monitoring. One-point calibration at levels of 200 ng/mL (249 nM) tac...
Triangulating case-finding tools for patient safety surveillance: a cross-sectional case study of puncture/laceration.

Objective To evaluate the need for triangulating case-finding tools in patient safety surveillance. This study applied four case-finding tools to error-associated patient safety events to identify and characterise the spectrum of events captured by these tools, using puncture or laceration as an example for in-depth analysis. Data sources/study setting Retrospective hospital discharge data were collected for calendar year 2005 (n=48 418) from a large, urban medical centre in the USA. Study design The study design was cross-sectional and used data linkage to identify the cases captured by each of four case-finding tools. Data collection/extraction methods Three case-finding tools (International Classification of Diseases external (E) and nature (N) of injury codes, Patient Safety Indicators (PSI)) were applied to the administrative discharge data to identify potential patient safety events. The fourth tool was Patient Safety Net, a web-based voluntary patient safety event reporting system. Results The degree of mutual exclusion among detection methods was substantial. For example, when linking puncture or laceration on unique identifiers, out of 447 potential events, 118 were identical between PSI and E-codes, 152 were identical between N-codes and E-codes and 188 were identical between PSI and N-codes. Only 100 events that were identified by PSI, E-codes and N-codes were identical. Triangulation of multiple tools through data linkage captures potential patient safety events most comprehensively. Conclusions Existing detection tools target patient safety domains differently, and consequently capture different occurrences, necessitating the integration of data from a combination of tools to fully estimate the total burden.
Professional sales coaching: an integrative review and research agenda

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrative review of coaching research from different contexts (e.g. athletics, executive coaching, project management and sales), delineate professional sales coaching from other developmental activities and develop a research agenda for stimulating research on professional sales coaching. Professional sales coaching is considered an important sales force developmental program by both sales practitioners and researchers. Yet, research on sales coaching remains fragmented in the extant literature. Design/methodology/approach – An extensive literature review of extant research and theoretical perspectives on coaching as well as insights gathered from exploratory, in-depth interviews of ten sales managers were used to develop the research agenda. Findings – The review and research agenda identify a number of sales coaching-related topics that warrant further research. Specifically, the research agenda addresses salesperson characteristics, sales manager ...
Gas holdup and backmixing in bubble column with polymer solutions

Etude experimentale de la retenue de gaz et du cœfficient de diffusion axiale dans des solutions de carboxymethylcellulose
Technical change in the North American forestry sector : a review

Economists have examined the impact of technical change on the forest products sector using the historical, index number, and econometric approaches. This paper reviews econometric analyses of the rate and bias of technical change, examining functional form, factors included, and empirical results. Studies are classified as first- second-, or third-generation approaches. First-generation studies are based on simple value-added measures of output, usually employ simple functional forms to represent the production technology, and incorporate only capital and labor inputs. Second-generation studies are characterized by estimation of more complex, flexible dual cost or profit functions and typically include resource and often energy inputs. Third-generation studies also rely upon dual formulations of the production structure and include multiple factors; however, in addition they specify the dynamics of adjustment of quasi-fixed factors over time. The studies reveal a tradeoff between the richness of the theoretical structure of the production technology and the consistency of the empirical results. Most studies have reported a labor-saving and energy-using bias to technical change, but little or no wood-saving bias, and many report a wood-using bias. Since technical advances occur in spurts, the use of a simple linear time trend to represent the state of technology is a major limitation of virtually all models. Alternative measures, such as the power ratings or throughput measures, might better capture the characteristics of a technology. Use of such measures might also be combined with a cross-sectional approach in an attempt to avoid some of the statistical problems, such as serial correlation, that characterize time series data. Finally, if the goal of the analysis is to forecast factor demand and cost implications of technical change, simulation models may offer a more promising alternative.
Social value creation and the role of business schools

There has been an increasing interest in the business world in exploring the opportunities of tapping into the underserved four billion consumers living in poverty globally (also termed the Base-of-the-Pyramid segment or BoP). This article provides a review of BoP literature that supports the notion of possible social value creation in BoP ventures by businesses. The authors suggest that business schools have an ethical and societal role to incorporate more BoP related topics in their curricula while income inequality has increasingly become a major economic and social challenge globally.
Characterizing Thermal Energy and Mass Transport in Volcanic Caldera Complexes; The Role of Scientific Drilling

Of all the geologic features on the earth’s surface, the major silicic caldera complexes are one of the most fascinating and fundamental phenomena. Not only do they represent profound thermal anomalies in the lithosphere which potentially may be exploited for energy and economic ore deposits, they also offer grave volcanic and earthquake hazards during major eruptive phases.
Letter by Wasfy et al Regarding Article, "Facility Level Variation in Hospitalization, Mortality, and Costs in the 30 Days After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Insights on Short-Term Healthcare Value From the Veterans Affairs Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking System (VA CART) Program".

Bradley et al1 make substantial contributions to our understanding of costs during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) episodes of care. The authors conclude, among other things, that the financial savings of reducing PCI readmission is limited, because readmission costs account for only 5.8% of the total cost of PCI care for all patients. By examining readmission costs as a proportion of total PCI costs, however, the cost of readmissions appear relatively small. The denominator used in the analysis includes PCI costs for all patients, including those patients not readmitted. Because only a fraction of all patients are …
Etiological Analysis and Preventive Measures for Children with Mental Retardation

Objective To explore the etiologies and preventive measures for children with mental retardation. Methods The clinical data of 82 mental retardation children who were hospitalized in the Children's Hospital of Hunan Province from March 2010 to June 2011 were retrospectively analyzed.And all the children received intelligence test and comprehensive assessment using Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. Results Among 82 children with mental retardation,there were 31(37.8%) children with mild mental retardation,26(31.7%) children with moderate mental retardation,17(20.7%) children with severe mental retardation,and 8(9.8%) children with very severe mental retardation.Of 82 children with mental retardation, there were 26(31.7%),27(32.9%),and 24(29.3%) children whose etiologies for mental retardation happened at before-birth,perinatal period,and after-birth, respectively.Moreover,there were 5(6.1%)children whose etiologies for mental retardation were not identified. Conclusions Many etiologies are able to cause children suffering from mental retardation,and the key factor of keeping children from mental retardation is seizing the etiology.
Responding with treatment to those acutely infected with HIV: no time to lose.

HIV infection when HIV RNA first appears in the blood, but before HIV-specific antibodies are detectable. Individuals with AHI have increased HIV transmissibility due to the increased viral load in both blood and genital secretions, making it critically important for prevention of secondary HIV transmission. While some patients with acute infection have a viral syndrome (known as acute retroviral syndrome or primary HIV), the mild and non-specific nature of acute retroviral syndrome complicates effective screening. A significant barrier to diagnosis of AHI is the non-specific nature of the signs and symptoms associated with the acute retroviral syndrome. Unless a clinician entertains the diagnosis in the differential and orders an appropriate diagnostic test, the diagnosis will be missed. It is vital to have clinicians consider AHI in young adults with fever and diffuse lymphadenopathy and that clinicians also know to include a viralspecific test and not just an HIV antibody as diagnostic tests. Methods to incorporate HIV RNA screening of all HIV antibody negative bloods for testing populations may reduce the number of missed diagnoses for AHI. Specimen pooling and nucleic acid amplification methodologies have proven to be a feasible and effective method of acute HIV infection screening of at-risk populations such as individuals seen in Sexually Transmitted Disease clinics, Emergency Departments, and at other locations where HIV testing is routinely provided or individuals at risk for HIV infection may seek care. Diagnosing AHI is of benefit at the level of the individual patient and at the level of the general public as part of HIV disease control efforts. Early HIV therapy presents a potential window of opportunity to improve immune function and slow the progression to AIDS, and more trials are underway now to determine the clinical benefits of early HIV therapy. Transmission of HIV is principally driven by the quantity of the HIV inoculum in either blood or genital secretions. This brief period of extremely high HIV viral load and uncontrolled viral replication in AHI last for less than eight weeks. Therapy with ARV can precipitously drop the serum and genital secretion viral load and potentially render the individual “non-infectious” should the viral load drop below detection.
Long-term results following partial nephrectomy for localized renal adenocarcinoma.

AbstractFrom 1956 to 1980 partial nephrectomy was done on 23 patients with localized renal carcinoma occurring bilaterally or in a solitary functioning kidney. The mean postoperative followup was 5.4 years, and the 5-year patient survival rates considering death of renal cancer only or of any cause were 70.2 and 59.6 per cent, respectively. Survival was diminished in patients with bilateral asynchronous renal carcinoma. Renal carcinoma recurred postoperatively in 6 patients (26 per cent), including 3 (13 per cent) with local recurrence in the renal remnant. Currently, 12 patients (52 per cent) are alive with stable function and no evidence of malignancy. These long-term data support the efficacy of partial nephrectomy for selected patients with renal carcinoma.
Boosting the career development of postdocs with a peer-to-peer mentor circles program

Mentor circles combine the advantages of both mentoring networks and peer-to-peer mentoring.
Dendritic Cell Reconstitution Following Autologous Stem Cell Transplant for Multiple Myeloma.

Abstract High dose therapy followed by autologous stem cell rescue for the treatment of multiple myeloma has been shown to be associated with improved outcome including increased complete response rates and survival. It is unclear what role, if any, autologous dendritic cell (DC) reconstitution patterns play in determining outcome. DC in peripheral blood (PB) can be divided into two subsets: DC1, which favor Th1 responses and DC2, which favor Th2 responses and in some cases appear to be immunosuppressive. In this companion study to a tandem stem cell transplant research protocol, PB DC subsets were studied prior to the administration of mobilizing chemotherapy (baseline), at the time of stem cell collection, on the day of transplant and at post transplant d. 15, 30, 60, and 90 following the first transplant. GM-CSF was used as part of the mobilization regimen as well as to enhance neutrophil recovery post-transplant. DC were identified as lineage (CD3/14/16/19) negative, HLA-DR+. Of these cells, DC1 were identified as CD11c+CD123− or CD33hiCD4lo, and DC2 were identified as CD11c−CD123+ or CD33lo/−CD4+. Sixteen patients have been enrolled and 11 are at least 90 d. post transplant #1. Median followup time is 12 months (range 7–25 months). 5 patients currently are in complete remission, 3 have had partial responses, 2 have stable disease, and 1 died of recurrent disease. In most cases, DC1 counts were higher than DC2 counts at all time points examined. At baseline, this was true for 77% of patients, indicating at baseline most patients maintain the higher DC1 numbers found in healthy humans. DC numbers increased in mobilized PB, and correlated well with the patients' baseline counts. GM-CSF was more efficient at increasing DC2 than DC1, as has been reported for G-CSF. Post-transplant, DC recovery to at or near baseline levels occurred in most patients by d. 60. There was a trend for patients who are currently disease-free and those with partial responses to have a lower DC1:DC2 ratio (i.,e., DC2 reconstitution occurred more vigorously than DC1 reconstitution). The patient who died of progressive disease had the highest DC1 counts at several time points, and among the lowest DC2 counts leading to a consistently high DC1:DC2 ratio at 30, 60, and 90 days post-transplant. This finding suggests that in autologous transplant for multiple myeloma, proportionately increased numbers of DC2 are not associated with an increased risk of relapse, as was previously reported for allogeneic bone marrow transplant, but instead are associated with an improved likelihood of complete remission. Mobilization with a growth factor that favors the DC2 subset, such as GM-CSF, may promote the post-transplant production of a DC population that is able to assist in maintaining a complete response to high dose chemotherapy. If these trends are maintained upon final analysis of the patient population, additional means of selectively increasing DC2 numbers in this transplant setting would warrant further investigation.
Evaluation of a long-acting oxytetracycline for treatment of Pasteurella pneumonia in calves.

Calves with experimental P. multocida pneumonia were successfully treated with a conventional intramuscular oxytetracycline preparation (50 mg/ml) at 3 mg/0.45 kg body weight daily for three days or 5 mg/0.45 kg for two days, and with a long-acting intramuscular oxytetracycline formulation (200 mg/ml) in a single dose of 9 mg/0.45 kg body weight. The long-acting preparation was considered more suitable as it required less labour to administer and caused less stress due to handling.
Classifying Energy-Related Events Using Electromagnetic Field Signatures

We propose a system that uses a set of mobile sensors, which fit on a keychain or ID/ access badge, for real-time feedback on a user’s energy consumption. The work presented here is the first phase of the project where we demonstrate the feasibility of recognizing electrical activity in an un-instrumented space (e.g., home or office) with a simple sensor. We present a sensor which can eventually be made small enough to be able to install on a keychain or ID badge to be carried around during daily activities. The current phase of the project focuses on comparing the electromagnetic fields of several common appliances to determine unique signatures. In the next phase of this project, using our mobile sensors we can attribute energy-related events to an individual occupant over multiple locations and time.
Analysis of a backcross population from a multi-copy transgenic Brassica napus line

Brassica napus is one of the crops at the forefront of biotechnological development. The procedures used to produce transgenic varieties are all prone to generating plants with multiple transgene copies. There has been considereable interest in the behaviour of such multi-copy lines because gene dosage rarely appears to correlate simply with gene expression. Here we report the analysis of a population of 107 progeny from a B. napus transformant containing multiple copies of a GUS marker gene construct. A total of 12 GUS sequence copies were identified including one that was non-functional. The expression of GUS increased with increasing copy number but this increase only made up a small proportion of the total variation between lines. There was no evidence of interaction between the various GUS copies and they appeared to segregate independently. The variation between progeny lines indicated that the number of gene copies was not a good guide to the expression of the gene product and hence that the expression of the gene in progeny from a multiple-copy parent could not be predicted. The importance of these findings in relation to plant breeding and the risk assessment process is discussed.
Structural dynamics-CFD interaction for computation of vertical tail buffet

The multi-disciplinary problem of tail buffeting is solved using three sets of equations. The first set is the unsteady, compressible, full Navier Stokes equations which are used for obtaining the flow-field vector and the aerodynamic loads. The second set is the coupled aeroelastic equations which are used for obtaining the bending and torsional deflections of the tail. The third set is the grid-displacement equations which are used for updating the grid coordinates due to the tail deflections. For the computational applications a sharp-edged delta wing of aspect ratio one and a rectangular vertical tail of aspect ratio one placed in the plane of geometric symmetry behind the wing are considered. The configuration is pitched at a critical angle of attack (alpha = 38 deg.) which produces asymmetric, vortex-breakdown flow of the delta wing primary vortices. The results show the effects of coupled and uncoupled bending-torsional responses and the effects of the Reynolds number.
Characteristics Affecting Juvenile Wood

Although it has not been generally recognized, juvenile wood has many characteristics similar to those of reaction wood — compression wood in the conifers and tension wood in the hardwoods (Zobel 1975a). In the conifers, both juvenile wood and compression wood have short cells with flat micro fibrillar angles and often a high lignin content; in hardwoods, juvenile fibers of both the diffuse- and ring-porous wood types are short and hardwoods have tension wood with a high cellulose content. When a tree is producing juvenile wood it is especially susceptible to environmental forces that cause formation of reaction wood, such as wind, ice and pest damage.
Very-low-load resistance exercise in the upper body with and without blood flow restriction: cardiovascular outcomes.

It is proposed that, at very low loads, greater blood flow restriction (BFR) pressures might be required for muscular adaptation to occur. The cardiovascular and hyperemic response to very low loads combined with relative levels of BFR is unknown. Ninety-seven participants were recruited and assigned to 1 of 4 exercise conditions: 15% of 1-repetition maximum (1RM) without BFR (15/00), 15% 1RM with BFR at 40% of arterial occlusion pressure (AOP) (15/40), 15% of 1RM with BFR at 80% of AOP (15/80), and 70% of 1RM without BFR (70/00). Participants performed 4 sets of unilateral biceps curls. Blood pressure was measured before and after exercise; brachial artery blood flow was measured before exercise, following the second set, and 1 min following exercise. Systolic blood pressure increased following exercise in all conditions (+10 (11) mm Hg, P 0.05). Similarly, artery diameter was increased in all conditions except 15/80 (+0.002 (0.041) cm, P = 0.853) following the second set, and increased in all conditions by 1 min following exercise (P < 0.05). In conclusion, exercise-induced hyperemia is blunted with increasing pressures of BFR. There is a modest increase in blood pressure at very low loads of resistance exercise in the upper body.
Basic computer skills and computer preferences of inner-city hospitalized medical patients: implications for web-based alcohol screening and brief intervention

ABSTRACTHealth care delivery is being transformed by the use of computer technology, and integrated physical health with mental and behavioral health care are national priorities. This study examined the basic computer skills and computer preferences of inner-city hospitalized medical patients in a design study of a web-based alcohol screening and brief intervention program prototype. Participants were 26 patients observed going through the program prototype using both a laptop computer and mouse, and an iPad. The majority of patients were able to do all the basic laptop and basic iPad skills to complete the program prototype, including older patients (aged 50 years or older) and patients with a high school degree or less. Patient computer preference was 3:1 for the use of an iPad versus a laptop computer, and the majority of patients preferred to complete a web-based versus an in-person brief intervention health program. Inner-city hospitalized medical patients appear able to complete and may be receptiv...
Use of machine learning in CARNA proton imager

Proton therapy has potential for high precision dose delivery, provided that high accuracy is achieved in imaging. Currently, X-ray based techniques are preferred for imaging prior to proton therapy, and the stopping power conversion tables cause irreducible uncertainty. The proposed proton imaging methods aim to reduce this source of error, as well as lessen the radiation exposure of the patient. CARNA is a homogeneous compact calorimeter that utilizes a novel highdensity scintillating glass as an active medium. The compact design and unique geometry of the calorimeter eliminate the need for a tracker system and allow it to be directly attached to a gantry. Thus, giving CARNA potential to be used for insitu imaging during the hadron therapy, possibly to detect the prompt gammas. The novel glass development and the traditional image reconstruction studies performed with CARNA have been reported before. However, to improve the image reconstruction, a machine learning implementation with CARNA is reported. A proof-of-concept Artificial Neural Network, is shown to efficiently predict the density and the shape of the tumors.
Utilizing herbarium specimens to quantify historical mycorrhizal communities.

Premise of the Study Mycorrhiza are critical to ecosystem functioning, but a lack of historical baseline data limits our understanding of the long-term belowground effects of global change. Herbarium specimens may provide this needed insight. However, it is unknown whether DNA of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can be reliably extracted from vascular plant specimen roots. Methods We sampled roots from herbarium specimens of four herbaceous forest species collected in western Pennsylvania between 1881-2008. Using molecular methods (terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequence analysis), we quantified AMF communities from specimen roots and tested for contamination. Results We successfully amplified AMF DNA from 44% (21/48) of the root but not leaf samples, indicating specimen contamination was negligible. As expected, there were significant differences in AMF composition between plant species (P < 0.05). However, no differences in AMF communities were detected through time, possibly due to limited sample size and low amplification rates in recent collections. Discussion Herbaria have potential as sources of valuable belowground microbial data to answer questions across geographic, temporal, and taxonomic scales otherwise not feasible. Ongoing methodological developments will only magnify this potential. Further tests are needed to determine curatorial practices that maximize this innovative use of herbarium specimens.
Effects of dissipation on solitons in the hydrodynamic regime of graphene

We use hydrodynamic techniques to analyze the one-dimensional propagation of solitons in gated graphene on an arbitrary uniform background current. Results are derived for both the Fermi liquid and Dirac fluid regimes. We find that these solutions satisfy the Korteweg--de Vries--Burgers equation. Viscous dissipation and Ohmic heating are included, causing the solitons to decay. Experiments are proposed to measure this decay and thereby quantify the shear viscosity in graphene.
Redesigning a Rotationplasty Prosthetic

Patients of Van Nes Rotationplasty often experience pain in their residual limb, due to the novel nature of the surgery. Literature review reveals that this pain occurs in a location on the limb that coincides with an abnormal concentration of force with respect to normal loading conditions. This paper discusses the results of a project where common engineering techniques were used to redesign a prosthetic leg and alleviate this pain for a client. The scope, for the purpose of this process, has been limited to the prosthetic “socket” where the residual limb sits. Use of 3D modeling and printing allows for quick, low cost iteration of the socket for testing, and is thus critical to the process. In full, the paper provides a prescriptive method to redesign a rotationplasty prosthesis towards the same result, for any client. The developed methodology for testing the device utilizes force sensors placed inside the socket, comparing the internal forces between a new model and an original, problematic one. In addition to this force measurement method, the process implements a prosthetic comfort evaluation form, allowing a client to qualitatively provide feedback on a prosthetic. Existing literature implied that reduction of force at the location of observed pain will reduce that pain, and client testing confirmed that notion, confirming the viability of the force sensor testing method.
Absence of Ischemic Injury after Sacrificing the Superior Petrosal Vein during Microvascular Decompression.

BACKGROUND Sacrificing the superior petrosal vein (SPV) is controversial during a microvascular decompression (MVD). There have been multiple reports of complications including life-threatening brainstem infarction and cerebellar edema. OBJECTIVE To analyze the potential for vascular complications when the SPV is sacrificed during an MVD. METHODS Retrospective chart review was performed to identify all MVDs for trigeminal neuralgia and hemifacial spasm from 2007 to 2018 at 1 institution. Cases with ≥1 mo of follow-up were included and SPV sacrifice was noted. The primary outcome was complications related to SPV sacrifice including sinus thrombosis, cerebellar edema, and midbrain or pontine infarction. Imaging was used to confirm all potential vascular complications noted in medical records. Fisher's exact test and unpaired t-tests were used to compare between groups. RESULTS A total of 732 MVD cases were identified and 592 met inclusion criteria with an average follow-up of 11.8 ± 16.4 mo and a male-to-female ratio of 1:2.2. The SPV was sacrificed in 217 cases and retained in 375 cases. No SPV-related vascular complications were found in this study. Two unrelated cases of vascular complications were identified and both were in the nonsacrificed group. One case involved cerebellar bleeding while the other was an ipsilateral transverse sinus thrombosis that was present preoperatively. CONCLUSION In MVDs, there is no difference in the rate of vascular complications when the SPV is sacrificed compared to preserved. To best visualize a cranial nerve and optimize safe decompression, surgeons should feel free to sacrifice the SPV.
Subclinical involvement of common carotid arteries in patients with fibromuscular dysplasia – a case-control study

Summary: Background: Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) primarily involves medium-sized arteries, though the entire spectrum of vascular involvement is not fully understood. We hypothesized that larger ...
Intracranial anaplastic hemangiopericytoma presenting with simultaneous extra-cranial metastases: A case report and review of the literature.

Background Intracranial solitary fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma (SFT/HPC) is a rare mesenchymal tumor with a propensity to recur and metastasize extracranially years after treatment. Accordingly, there are no reported cases of a patient presenting with a simultaneous intracranial primary and extracranial metastases. We present the case of a patient presenting with an intracranial SFT/HPC and simultaneous liver metastases and propose a treatment paradigm. Case description A 74-year-old male smoker presented with confusion. An MRI of the brain revealed a heterogeneously enhancing left frontal extra-axial mass. Systemic workup revealed multiple small liver lesions concerning for metastases. The patient underwent gross total resection (GTR) of the intracranial lesion with adjuvant CyberKnife stereotactic radiotherapy to the resection cavity. Pathology was consistent with a WHO Grade III SFT/HPC (previously known as anaplastic HPC). The liver lesions were biopsied and confirmed to be metastases. They were subsequently treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy, temozolomide, and bevacizumab. Eighteen months postoperatively, the patient is alive with no evidence of intracranial malignancy and regression of the hepatic lesions. Conclusion Several studies support GTR and adjuvant radiotherapy to treat intracranial SFT/HPC. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy is less clear. Metastatic disease is typically detected several years after the initial diagnosis, and there is no consensus regarding the optimal treatment strategy. We propose that the rare presentation of intracranial SFT/HPC with simultaneous extracranial metastases should be treated in a multidisciplinary fashion with surgical resection, adjuvant radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.
Brain network connectivity in major depression: extending findings from a large public data set by meta-analysis across sites

Abstract In this short communication, we test whether patients with major depression and healthy individuals have different functional connectivity within established brain networks. To this end, we leverage a very large multi-site data set of resting state fMRI data (1,300 depressed patients and 1,128 controls) collected by 25 groups. A previous study conducted on this data set compared functional connectivity of the default mode network between the two groups. In our investigation, we performed a meta-analysis across sites quantifying the effects of depression and symptom severity on connectivity of several brain-wide networks beyond the default mode. Running a meta-analysis instead of a mega-analysis also allowed us to calculate effect sizes, heterogeneity and prediction intervals that will be valuable to inform future studies wishing to investigate network functional connectivity in depression. Our results indicate that network connectivity differences between depressed and healthy subjects are consistently small, with confidence intervals almost always encompassing zero, in line with the mixed findings from previous research. Default mode network connectivity differences between depressed patients and controls were exceptionally heterogeneous across sites, suggesting the existence of depression sub-types with normo- and hypo-connected default mode network or a strong impact of clinical confounds on default mode network connectivity. The only networks for which connectivity in depressed individuals was consistently lower than in controls were the somatomotor and visual networks, which could be promising understudied targets for future investigation. Overall, we highlight the need of minimizing heterogeneity in future multi-site studies on functional connectivity in depression and the need for more research on novel taxonomies of mental illness that are robustly anchored in brain function.
Peroral endoscopic myotomy is highly effective for achalasia patients with recurrent symptoms after pneumatic dilatation

Previous interventions in achalasia such as pneumatic dilation (PD) might lead to difficulties with peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) along with sub-optimal outcomes. There are limited data in the literature on outcomes of POEM after PD, especially from the western hemisphere. Hence, we aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of POEM for recurrent symptoms after PD compared to treatment naive achalasia patients. Medical records of achalasia patients who underwent POEM at our institution between April 2014 and October 2019 were reviewed. Patients who had POEM for recurrent symptoms after prior PD were matched at 1:2 ratio with treatment naive achalasia patients using propensity score matching. Patients who had prior Heller myotomy were excluded. Patient demographics, Eckardt scores, timed barium swallow (TBE), high-resolution esophageal manometry (HREM), and pH study findings were compared between the two groups, pre- and 2 months post-POEM. Treatment success was defined as reduction of Eckardt score to ≤ 3. A total of 39 patients (prior PD = 13; treatment naive = 26) were included. Patient demographics, procedural, and peri-procedural outcomes were similar in both groups. Treatment success was similar in both groups, 100.0% in prior PD vs 91.7% in treatment naive group (p = 0.53). On adjusted analysis, there was no significant difference in the pre–post-POEM improvement in Eckardt scores, TBE, and HREM parameters in the two groups. Gastroesophageal reflux disease rates were also similar in both groups. In achalasia with recurrent symptoms after PD, POEM is a safe and highly effective treatment modality. Prior PD does not seem to influence the outcomes or efficacy of POEM.
Tuning applications for efficient GPU offloading to in-memory processing

Data movement between processors and main memory is a critical bottleneck for data-intensive applications. This problem is more severe with Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) applications due to their massive parallel data processing characteristics. Recent research has shown that in-memory processing can greatly alleviate this data movement bottleneck by reducing traffic between GPUs and memory devices. It offloads execution to in-memory processors, and avoids transferring enormous data between memory devices and processors. However, while in-memory processing is promising, to fully take advantage of such architecture, we need to solve several issues. For example, the conventional GPU application code that is highly optimized for the locality to execute efficiently in GPU does not necessarily have good locality for in-memory processing. As such, the GPU may mistakenly offload application routines that cannot gain benefit from in-memory processing. Additionally, workload balancing cannot simply treat in-memory processors as GPU processors since its data transfer time can be significantly reduced. Finally, how to offload application routines that access the shared memory inside GPUs is still an unsolved issue. In this paper, we explore four optimizations for GPU applications to take advantage of in-memory processors. Specifically, we propose four optimizations: application restructuring, run-time adaptation, aggressive loop offloading, and shared-memory transfer on-demand to mitigate the four unsolved issues in the GPU in-memory processing system. From our experimental evaluations with 13 applications, our approach can achieve 2.23x offloading performance improvement.
Review of Stacey Johnson, A Time To Embrace: Same Gender Relationships in Religion, Law, and Politics (2007)

This essay reviews the constructive biblical, historical, pastoral and legal argument for accepted same-sex marriage in churches, states, and liberal societies offered by a leading Protestant theologian and jurist.
Enhancing the Value of Solar Energy as Solar and Storage Penetrations Increase

Increasing the penetration of photovoltaics (PV) reduces the marginal grid value of PV electricity. Various strategies have been proposed for preserving this value. We analyze the net value (accounting for both cost and grid value) of these strategies in the United States. We find that established and emerging strategies designed to shift the timing of standalone PV generation at the expense of total generation — including orienting monofacial PV modules west or bifacial modules vertically — result in minor net-value benefits or penalties. Adding energy storage to such systems magnifies the net-value loss, because configurations that change the timing of PV production become redundant when the energy-shifting capabilities of storage are added. The largest net-value gains come from strategies that maximize generation (solar tracking plus oversized PV arrays) in conjunction with storage, especially at high PV penetrations. PV systems are long-lived assets. Our results suggest that efforts to promote generation-maximizing strategies today may yield increasing net-value benefits as U.S. PV and storage deployments continue to accelerate over the coming decades.
Program elements’ impact on chemistry doctoral students’ professional development: a longitudinal study

The goal of graduate education has consistently been to produce independent scientists who can advance the knowledge of their fields, which has led to a series of staple elements in graduate components (i.e. research, courses, seminars, etc.) However, criticisms of graduate education in chemistry have been raised, stating that the current structure no longer matches the needs of our changing world, that it fails to prepare students for present and future careers in academia, industry, and government work. Suggestions have been made for improvement, but there is a lack of research investigating how graduate students actually grow professionally given the current common programmatic elements. To that end, a longitudinal, qualitative case study was conducted. Four chemistry graduate students were interviewed about their professional growth every 6 months during their first two years of graduate school based on their personal experiences to determine the impact of programmatic elements on graduate students’ professional development. Socialization theory and cognitive apprenticeship theory provided the lens for the development of the semi-structured interviews. Through the use of iterative thematic coding, evidence of five main themes was found: Career preparation, environment, perceived value, scepticism or faith in the system, and support. These themes bring into question the extent to which chemistry programs (of similar characteristics to those studied) are meeting their ethical responsibility of preparing students for the changing dynamics of careers that chemists assume. It was found that, in certain circumstances, the current chemistry graduate education structure falls short of those goals.
Understanding Your Emotional Map

Our early experiences with attachment figures set a precedent not just for the development of a sense of self but also for the development of healthy relationships later in life. A secure attachment is formed when caregivers are stable, reliable, and trustworthy in their behaviors and responsivity. When children’s needs are adequately met, they can begin to develop trust that the world is an intrinsically benevolent place. However, in the event of pervasive relational trauma in childhood, such as persistent patterns of rejection, humiliation, or neglect, children can develop an insecure or disorganized attachment with a caregiver. This chapter provides an exploration of attachment theory with a description of each of the adult attachment categories, in addition to outlining the role of attunement and mirroring. This chapter reviews current research on the implications of insecure attachment for adult relationships and social functioning. Following this overview, a critique of attachment theory shall be considered. Subsequently, an exploration of how COVID-19 has exacerbated the impact of developmental trauma is critically reviewed. Finally, the chapter briefly introduces interventions utilized to measure adult attachment status in a clinical setting.
Signal integration in forward and reverse neutrophil migration: Fundamentals and emerging mechanisms.

Abstract Neutrophils migrate to sites of tissue damage, where they protect the host against pathogens. Often, the cost of these neutrophil defenses is collateral damage to healthy tissues. Thus, the immune system has evolved multiple mechanisms to regulate neutrophil migration. One of these mechanisms is reverse migration — the process whereby neutrophils leave the source of inflammation. In vivo, neutrophils arrive and depart the wound simultaneously — indicating that neutrophils dynamically integrate conflicting signals to engage in forward and reverse migration. This finding is seemingly at odds with the established chemoattractant hierarchy in vitro, which places wound-derived signals at the top. Here we will discuss recent work that has uncovered key players involved in retaining and dispersing neutrophils from wounds. These findings offer the opportunity to integrate established and emerging mechanisms into a holistic model for neutrophil migration in vivo.
Learning Dependence Relationships of Evacuation Decision Making Factors from Tweets

Individuals react very differently to evacuation orders as their decisions depend on various factors. Identifying key contributing factors and understanding how they affect individuals’ evacuation decisions can help emergency response organizations improve evacuation plans and communication strategies. Conventionally, researchers have studied human evacuation behaviors by conducting post-disaster surveys, which could be costly, be limited by sampling methods, and be dependent on respondent availability resulting in non-timely responses. Social media, becoming an important communication channel during a disaster, can provide alternative data to examine evacuation behavior in near real-time at a relatively low cost. This study explores how social media data can be used to gain insight on human evacuation behavior. We designed a conceptual model, developed a codebook to classify Twitter communications, and employed a Bayesian Network approach to build a model to inductively learn dependence relationships of evacuation decision making factors from tweets. In analyzing tweets during the Lilac Fire in San Diego, CA, the learned Bayesian Network highlighted two key factors, risk perception and received information source, that jointly influenced the individual’s evacuation decision making. This case study also implied that factors related to individual/family situations, evacuation situations, knowledge, and previous experience may not be primary decision-making factors.
"Can you HEAR my FEAR?" A Korean immigrant with hearing loss reflects on surviving the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

This paper presents the perception and associated experiences of a Korean hard-of-hearing immigrant special education researcher as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded. These experiences include the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans; increasing evidence that face coverings are a vital public health tool; the knowledge that face coverings can increase the risk of racist violence; and difficulty communicating with people who are wearing most face coverings due to being hard-of-hearing. It provides supportive resources, strategies, and hope for educators, disability rights advocates, and families of individuals who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing, promoting public awareness and embrace of difference.
All-optical packet processing and contention resolution using O-CDMA and optical bistability

The application of optical code division multiple access (O-CDMA) to the realm of all-optical packet switching is studied. O-CDMA encoded headers could be decoded by tuned delay lines and used to make routing decisions. By encoding only the header with O-CDMA codes, the bandwidth requirement on the O-CDMA encoder and decoder is lessened. Using the inherent threshold capability of bistable optical elements and wavelength routing, decoding of the packet headers and subsequent routing can be done all optically. Contention resolution is one of the challenges facing an all optical packet switching network. A scheme to reduce dropped packets due to collisions is presented by using optical bistability, four wave mixing and Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based optical switch with a loop delay line. This scheme, however, is limited to resolving contention between fix-length packets in a synchronous network.
Lawyers in the Perfect Storm

The multiple corporate collapses and scandals of recent years, for which "Enron" is a convenient shorthand, resulted from a perfect storm in which regulatory oversight, the law of fiduciary duty, gatekeepers, market discipline, and contractual incentives all failed to prevent gross self-dealing, conflicts of interest, and deception, or themselves produced perverse consequences. The story of this simultaneous failure of the structures in place since the New Deal and before, has received considerable attention in both the popular and scholarly literature, but is summarized here to provide a context for consideration of the contributions that lawyers made to the perfect storm. The contribution of lawyers has received less attention than that of gatekeepers such as auditors and research analysts, perhaps because their complex role as both advocates and gatekeepers does not lend itself to a relatively simple morality tale, as did the failures of the auditors and analysts. This article attempts to identify the various types of failures by lawyers in these cases, and argues that there is no single way to describe or explain them; lawyers contributed to the perfect storm in at least several different ways. This complexity suggests that the SEC's new professional standards for lawyers, while perhaps helpful, do not provide a comprehensive solution to the problems that produced a significant contribution by lawyers to the perfect storm.