cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patients with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries and systemic tricuspid valve regurgitation should be referred for surgical consultation as soon as the diagnosis of regurgitation is made

The title of this editorial comment was purposely chosen on purpose to be as provocative as possible. The paper in this issue of the Journal by Mongeon et al. ([1][1]) from the Mayo Clinic comes from a group with premier credentials in adult congenital heart disease. The Mayo Clinic has a real
Inversion of local earthquake data for site response in San Diego, California

Thesis (M.S.) Department of Geological Sciences. Latitude and Longitude values were taken from Google Earth satellite imagery.
Presidential Address: The Quality of State Legislative Representation: A Critical Assessment

An assessment is conducted of the quality of state legislative representation over the past 35 years, focusing on significant areas of change in representation. Legislative self-interest is presented as a problem in representation, with a position taken that state legislatures should not engage in lawmaking over issues of self-interest. Documentation is provided on the decline in choice in state legislative elections, on how the doctrine of "one person, one vote" has not translated into equal representation of voters, on the relative cost of state lawmaking, on campaign financing of state legislative elections, on the current state of ethics and financial disclosure regulation, and on the regulation of lobbying. Prescriptions on how to cure the ills of the current representation system are offered.
Surgical Approaches to First Branchial Cleft Anomaly Excision: A Case Series

Objectives. First branchial cleft anomalies (BCAs) constitute a rare entity with variable clinical presentations and anatomic findings. Given the high rate of recurrence with incomplete excision, identification of the entire tract during surgical treatment is of paramount importance. The objectives of this paper were to present five anatomic variations of first BCAs and describe the presentation, evaluation, and surgical approach to each one. Methods. A retrospective case review and literature review were performed. We describe patient characteristics, presentation, evaluation, and surgical approach of five patients with first BCAs. Results. Age at definitive surgical treatment ranged from 8 months to 7 years. Various clinical presentations were encountered, some of which were atypical for first BCAs. All had preoperative imaging demonstrating the tract. Four surgical approaches required a superficial parotidectomy with identification of the facial nerve, one of which revealed an aberrant facial nerve. In one case the tract was found to travel into the angle of the mandible, terminating as a mandibular cyst. This required en bloc excision that included the lateral cortex of the mandible. Conclusions. First BCAs have variable presentations. Complete surgical excision can be challenging. Therefore, careful preoperative planning and the recognition of atypical variants during surgery are essential.
Investigation of a diabase-derived regolith profile from Pennsylvania: mineralogy, chemistry and Fe isotope fractionation.

Abstract At Earth's surface, bedrock transforms to regolith in a process that has many implications for water storage, soil formation, and nutrient availability to ecosystems. To understand deep regolith formation, we investigate three zones demarcating changes in mineralogy, chemistry and Fe isotopic composition in a 4-m thick regolith profile developed at a ridge top in Pennsylvania (U.S.A.) that is underlain entirely by diabase. Relative to the unweathered diabase, Zone 1 at the bottom is characterized by major element depletion, abrupt oxidation of Fe(II), a rapid decrease in sulfur concentrations and the presence of short-range ordered (SRO) Fe with depleted δ56Fe values relative to unweathered diabase. We attribute many of the observations at this depth (which we refer to as the lithogenic zone) to the effects of spheroidal weathering, which may be releasing a flux of Fe(II) with low δ56Fe values as the mineral pyroxene is weathered. This Fe(II) is oxidized due to the presence of oxygen at the bottom of the profile and is likely precipitated as isotopically light SRO Fe phases, which then recrystallize with time. Zone 2 is interpreted as a region of crystallization in which minimal bulk chemical changes occur. Finally, SRO Fe isotopic compositions become lighter again near the land surface in Zone 3, the zone of most intense biogenic weathering. Biological Fe weathering likely involves enhanced microbial activity, exudation of protons and organic acids by plant roots and fungi, and plant uptake. This pattern of SRO Fe isotopic variability (with isotopically depleted values both at depth and near the surface) has been observed in another regolith profile on spheroidally weathering bedrock in Puerto Rico. We further used pore-water concentrations and soil chemistry to calculate rates of diabase weathering. While pore-water concentrations yield modern rates, soil chemistry concentrations indicate longer-term rates. The similarity in the diabase dissolution rates using modern pore fluids and soil chemistry is consistent with steady-state weathering. Similar approaches can be applied to other Appalachian soil profiles in the future.
On Determining the Non-Circularity of a Plane Curve

(2004). On Determining the Non-Circularity of a Plane Curve. The College Mathematics Journal: Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 74-83.
Impact Characterization of Polyurethane Composites Manufactured Using Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding

Glass fiber reinforced composites are finding various applications due to their high specific stiffness/strength, and corrosion resistance. Vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) is one of the commonly used low cost composite manufacturing processes. Polyurethane (PU) resin system has been observed to have better mechanical properties and higher impact strength when compared to conventional resin systems such as polyester and vinyl ester. Until recently, PU could not be used in composite manufacturing processes such as VARTM due to its low pot life. In the present work, a thermoset PU resin systems with longer pot life developed by Bayer MaterialScience is used. Glass fiber reinforced PU composites have been manufactured using one part PU resin system. Performance evaluation was conducted on these composites using tensile, flexure and impact tests. Finite element simulation was conducted to validate the mechanical tests. Results showed that PU composites manufactured using novel thermoset PU resins and VARTM process will have significant applications in infrastructure and automotive industries.© 2012 ASME
Novel Compressed Sensing-Based Channel Estimation Algorithm and Near-Optimal Pilot Placement Scheme

This paper presents a novel recovery algorithm based on sparsity adaptive matching pursuit (SaMP) and a new near-optimal pilot placement scheme, for compressed sensing (CS)-based sparse channel estimation in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication systems. Compared with other state-of-the-art recovery algorithms, the proposed algorithm possesses the feature of SaMP of not requiring a priori knowledge of the sparsity level, and moreover, adjusts the step size adaptively to approach the true sparsity level. Furthermore, we focus on the pilot pattern design in sparse channel estimation. Although a brute-force search guarantees the optimal pilot pattern, it is prohibitive to examine all possibilities due to high computational complexity. It is known that by minimizing the mutual coherence of the measurement matrix when the signal is sparse on the unitary discrete Fourier transform (DFT) matrix, the optimal set of pilot locations is a cyclic difference set (CDS). Based on this, we propose an efficient near-optimal pilot placement scheme in cases where CDS does not exist. Simulation results show that the proposed channel estimation algorithm, with the new pilot placement scheme, offers a better tradeoff between the performance—in terms of mean-squared-error (MSE) and bit-error-rate (BER)—and complexity, when compared to other estimation algorithms.
Empowering communities: Ella Baker ’ s decentralized leadership style and conversational eloquence

ABSTRACTThis article examines Ella Baker’s distinctive contributions to what she called the fight for full freedom. In particular, this article analyzes Baker’s 1969 speech, “The Black Woman in the Civil Rights Struggle.” This article contends that Baker’s rhetorical efforts allowed her to revitalize and rethink the Civil Rights Movement by positioning her audience as its leaders. By empowering her audience to be leaders and to take a personal stake in the fight for freedom, Baker promoted the continuation of the Civil Rights Movement by emphasizing the importance of individual action and the commitment to a larger communal struggle. This article enriches scholarship about the Civil Rights Movement, by highlighting how Civil Rights Movement rhetors used a wide array of appeals.
Indentation-derived elastic modulus of multilayer thin films: Effect of unloading-induced plasticity

Nanoindentation is useful for evaluating the mechanical properties, such as elastic modulus, of multilayer thin film materials. A fundamental assumption in the derivation of the elastic modulus from nanoindentation is that the unloading process is purely elastic. In this work, the validity of elastic assumption as it applies to multilayer thin films is studied using the finite element method. The elastic modulus and hardness from the model system are compared to experimental results to show validity of the model. Plastic strain is shown to increase in the multilayer system during the unloading process. The indentation-derived modulus of a monolayer material shows no dependence on unloading plasticity while the modulus of the multilayer system is dependent on unloading-induced plasticity. Lastly, the cyclic behavior of the multilayer thin film is studied in relation to the influence of unloading-induced plasticity. It is found that several cycles are required to minimize unloading-induced plasticity.
The association of precollege use of calculators with student performance in college calculus

This study investigates how the use of calculators during high school mathematics courses is associated with student performance in introductory college calculus courses in the USA. Data were drawn from a nationally representative sample of 7087 students enrolled in college calculus at 134 colleges and universities. They included information about students’ demographics, standardized test scores, and high school mathematics course enrollment and performance. Factor analysis reduced ten items describing high school calculator usage to two composites: how extensively calculators were employed and teacher-imposed restrictions on their use. Hierarchical linear models predicted students’ college calculus grades, reported by their professor, while controlling for differences between colleges and student backgrounds. The more extensively students had used calculators in high school, the lower their grade in college calculus. However, students earned higher college calculus grades to the extent that their high school teachers had limited calculator use on quizzes and exams and had restricted calculator use until paper-and-pencil methods had been mastered, which offset the negative association of extensive calculator use with grades. The effect sizes of both calculator composites were very small. Overall, the findings raise doubts about any substantial long-term effects on college mathematics performance of calculator use in high school.
Cryptic protein-protein interaction motifs in the cytoplasmic domain of MHCI proteins.

Major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI) proteins present antigenic peptides for immune surveillance and play critical roles in nervous system development and plasticity. Most MHCI are transmembrane proteins. The extracellular domain of MHCI interacts with immunoreceptors, peptides, and co-receptors to mediate immune signaling. While the cytoplasmic domain also plays important roles in endocytic trafficking, cross-presentation of extracellularly derived antigens, and CTL priming, the molecular mediators of cytoplasmic signaling by MHCI remain largely unknown. Here we show that the cytoplasmic domain of MHCI contains putative protein-protein interaction domains known as PDZ (PSD95/disc large/zonula occludens-1) ligands. PDZ ligands are motifs that bind to PDZ domains to organize and mediate signaling at cell-cell contacts. PDZ ligands are short, degenerate motifs, and are therefore difficult to identify via sequence homology alone, but several lines of evidence suggest that putative PDZ ligand motifs in MHCI are under positive selective pressure. Putative PDZ ligands are found in all of the 99 MHCI proteins examined from diverse species, and are enriched in the cytoplasmic domain, where PDZ interactions occur. Both the position of the PDZ ligand and the class of ligand motif are conserved across species, as well as among genes within a species. Non-synonymous substitutions, when they occur, frequently preserve the motif. Of the many specific possible PDZ ligand motifs, a handful are strikingly and selectively overrepresented in MHCI’s cytoplasmic domain, but not elsewhere in the same proteins. Putative PDZ ligands in MHCI encompass conserved serine and tyrosine residues that are targets of phosphorylation, a post-translational modification that can regulate PDZ interactions. Finally, proof-of-principle in vitro interaction assays demonstrate that the cytoplasmic domains of particular MHCI proteins can bind directly and specifically to PDZ1 and PDZ4&5 of MAGI-1, and identify a conserved PDZ ligand motif in the classical MHCI H2-K that is required for this interaction. These results identify cryptic protein interaction motifs in the cytoplasmic domain of MHCI. In so doing, they suggest that the cytoplasmic domain of MHCI could participate in previously unsuspected PDZ mediated protein-protein interactions at neuronal as well as immunological synapses.
Multimedia transmission over device-to-device wireless links

This paper studies the performance of hierarchical modulation-based image transmission in device-to-device (D2D) cellular wireless networks under constraints on both transmit and interference power levels. Hierarchical quadrature amplitude modulation (HQAM) is considered in which high priority (HP) data is protected more than low priority (LP) data. In this setting, closed-form bit error rate (BER) expressions for HP data and LP data are derived over multiple Rayleigh fading subchannels in 3 different transmission modes. The optimal power control that minimizes weighted sum of average BERs of HP bits and LP bits or its upper bound subject to average transmit power and average interference power constraints is derived. Performance comparisons of image transmission in 3 different modes are carried out, and the proposed power control strategies are evaluated in terms of the BERs and received data quality.
Foreign Exchange Volatility and its Implications for Macroeconomic Stability: An Empirical Study of Developing Economies

This paper studies foreign exchange fluctuations and how they impact both sustainable macroeconomic variables and external debt. Generally, as a “developing” country becomes more globalized through increased international capital flows, both sovereign and private borrowing tends to increase. Debt issued in a foreign currency is affected by the exchange rate as it can raise/decrease borrowing costs. At the same time, instability in the economy and failure to meet debt obligations can be caused by both external and domestic shocks. In this paper, macroeconomic fundamentals, as well as foreign exchange risk and volatility, and credit default are analyzed for both emerging and developing countries. Using a dynamic open economy growth model, excess debt is calculated including the effect of the changes in the value of the currency. The empirical findings of this paper highlight that external credit default risk increases together with greater fluctuations, i.e., volatility, in FX rates, especially in fragile emerging countries, e.g., Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, and South Africa.
The basic principles of anesthesia for the neonate

Abstract Introduction There are significant developmental differences in physiology and pharmacology in neonates that make the conduct of a safe anesthetic much more challenging in a neonate. Objectives Complete a focused review of the current knowledge of the physiological and pharmacologic differences seen in newborns that impact the safe administration of anesthesia. Methods A selective review of literature in developmental changes in physiology and pharmacology was completed. Results This knowledge acquired in the review was used to establish common principles for the safe administration of anesthesia to newborn patients. Conclusion In spite of the persistence of large gaps in our knowledge in this physiology and pharmacology, common modern anesthetic management principles for neonatal surgery have significantly improved clinical outcomes.
Optical See-Through Cancer Vision Goggles Enable Direct Patient Visualization and Real-Time Fluorescence-Guided Oncologic Surgery.

The inability to visualize the patient and surgical site directly, limits the use of current near infrared fluorescence-guided surgery systems for real-time sentinel lymph node biopsy and tumor margin assessment. We evaluated an optical see-through goggle augmented imaging and navigation system (GAINS) for near-infrared, fluorescence-guided surgery. Tumor-bearing mice injected with a near infrared cancer-targeting agent underwent fluorescence-guided, tumor resection. Female Yorkshire pigs received hind leg intradermal indocyanine green injection and underwent fluorescence-guided, popliteal lymph node resection. Four breast cancer patients received 99mTc-sulfur colloid and indocyanine green retroareolarly before undergoing sentinel lymph node biopsy using radioactive tracking and fluorescence imaging. Three other breast cancer patients received indocyanine green retroareolarly before undergoing standard-of-care partial mastectomy, followed by fluorescence imaging of resected tumor and tumor cavity for margin assessment. Using near-infrared fluorescence from the dyes, the optical see-through GAINS accurately identified all mouse tumors, pig lymphatics, and four pig popliteal lymph nodes with high signal-to-background ratio. In 4 human breast cancer patients, 11 sentinel lymph nodes were identified with a detection sensitivity of 86.67 ± 0.27% for radioactive tracking and 100% for GAINS. Tumor margin status was accurately predicted by GAINS in all three patients, including clear margins in patients 1 and 2 and positive margins in patient 3 as confirmed by paraffin-embedded section histopathology. The optical see-through GAINS prototype enhances near infrared fluorescence-guided surgery for sentinel lymph node biopsy and tumor margin assessment in breast cancer patients without disrupting the surgical workflow in the operating room.
Effect of Police Training and Accountability on the Mental Health of African American Adults

The article discusses the impact of police training and accountability in America on African American adults' mental health as of 2017, and it mentions attitudes towards police officers and the emotions that are associated with police-minority relations. The concept of police mistreatment as a public health problem in the U.S. is examined, along with racial profiling by the police and the mental stress and trauma that are associated with police misconduct.
Interaction of a genetic risk score with physical activity, physical inactivity, and body mass index in relation to venous thromboembolism risk.

INTRODUCTION Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is highly heritable. Physical activity, physical inactivity and body mass index (BMI) are also risk factors, but evidence of interaction between genetic and environmental risk factors is limited. METHODS Data on 2,134 VTE cases and 3,890 matched controls were obtained from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II), and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). We calculated a weighted genetic risk score (wGRS) using 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with VTE risk in published genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Data on three risk factors, physical activity (metabolic equivalent [MET] hours per week), physical inactivity (sitting hours per week) and BMI, were obtained from biennial questionnaires. VTE cases were incident since cohort inception; controls were matched to cases on age, cohort, and genotype array. Using conditional logistic regression, we assessed joint effects and interaction effects on both additive and multiplicative scales. We also ran models using continuous wGRS stratified by risk-factor categories. RESULTS We observed a supra-additive interaction between wGRS and BMI. Having both high wGRS and high BMI was associated with a 3.4-fold greater risk of VTE (relative excess risk due to interaction = 0.69, p = 0.046). However, we did not find evidence for a multiplicative interaction with BMI. No interactions were observed for physical activity or inactivity. CONCLUSION We found a synergetic effect between a genetic risk score and high BMI on the risk of VTE. Intervention efforts lowering BMI to decrease VTE risk may have particularly large beneficial effects among individuals with high genetic risk.
An Introduction to Practical Panarchy: Linking Law, Resilience, and Adaptive Water Governance of Regional Scale Social-Ecological Systems

This chapter introduces the volume on Practical Panarchy: Linking Law, Resilience, and Adaptive Water Governance of Regional Scale Social-Ecological Systems. It begins by defining the terminology and theoretical concepts to present the bridging framework among ecological resilience, governance, and law relied on throughout this volume and then introduces this three-part volume. Part I presents the effort to assess resilience and transformation in riverine and wetland social-ecological systems in six US watersheds (the Anacostia River, Columbia River, Everglades wetlands, Klamath River, Middle Rio Grand River, and central Platte River) and one Australian system (the Lake Eyre and Great Artesian basin). Part II focuses on the legal dimensions of watershed governance that directly relate to ecological resilience and transformability of the social-ecological systems and synthesizes the results of the basin assessments to advance the understanding of the role of law and governance as a trigger, facilitator, or barrier to adaptation and transformation in the face of rapid environmental change, including shifting climate. Part III looks at the broader relation between social-ecological resilience and governance through synthesis of the basin assessments and resort to the broader literature on institutions and governance. As a whole, this volume presents the results of a 3-year pursuit on the cross-scale interactions among law, ecosystem dynamics, and governance to address the adaptive capacity of regional scale watersheds as they respond to accelerating environmental change.
Overall survival in female Medicare beneficiaries with early stage breast cancer receiving bisphosphonates or denosumab.

530Background: Adjuvant bisphosphonates in early breast cancer (BC) have resulted in reduction in bone metastasis and improved overall survival (OS), particularly in post-menopausal women. We aim t...
Body mass index and health-related quality of life.

Objective There are conflicting data regarding the association between body mass index (BMI) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), especially among certain population subgroups and for mental and physical health domains. Methods This study analysed the relationship between BMI and HRQoL (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System mental and physical health scales) using ordinary least squares regression. Each model allowed for the possibility of a non-linear relationship between BMI and the outcome, adjusting for age, gender, comorbidities, diet and physical activity. Results A total of 10,133 respondents were predominantly female (71.7%), White (84.1%), median age of 52.1 years (interquartile range 37.2-63.3) and median BMI of 27.9 (interquartile range 24.0-33.2). In adjusted models, BMI was significantly associated with physical and mental HRQoL (p < 0.001). For physical HRQoL, there was a significant interaction with age (p = 0.02). For mental HRQoL, there was a significant interaction with sex (p = 0.0004) but not age (p = 0.7). Conclusions This study demonstrates a non-linear association of variable clinical relevance between BMI and HRQoL after adjusting for demographic factors and comorbidities. The relationship between BMI and HRQoL is nuanced and impacted by gender and age. These findings challenge the idea of obesity as a main driver of reduced HRQoL, particularly among women and with respect to mental HRQoL.
Strain tuning of ferroelectric and optical properties of rhombohedral-like BiFeO3 thin films on SrRuO3-buffered substrates

Abstract Rhombohedral-like (R-like) BiFeO3 (BFO) thin films with a SrRuO3 (SRO) buffer layer have been deposited on a range of lattice mismatched substrates, including single crystalline (001)-oriented LaAlO3 (LAO), SrTiO3 (STO), MgO and TiN-buffered Si substrates. A wide range of strain states in BFO films have been achieved on these substrates. Ferroelectric measurements indicate that the film strain state affects the polarization of the BFO films. The bandgap of R-like BFO films follows the trend that highly compressive strain in BFO thin films leads to a larger bandgap. This study indicates that the physical properties including bandgap and ferroelectricity of BFO films, can be effectively tuned on large lattice mismatch substrates even with partial strain relaxation. Furthermore, the integration of ferroelectric BFO on SRO-buffered Si substrates suggests the possible application of strained BFO in Si-based electronic and optical devices.
Spatiotemporal Controls on the Urban Aerobiome

Greater exposure to environmental microorganisms has been hypothesized to reduce the likelihood of developing autoimmune disorders, and vegetation is known to be a source of diverse microbiota to the air. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics of airborne microbial communities in urban environments with varying amounts and types of vegetation are poorly understood. In this study we used high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene to assess whether fine-scale variation in urban vegetation influences the diversity, composition, or structure of airborne bacterial communities over time. We used passive settling dishes to collect airborne bacteria from 36 sites representing three urban land cover types (forest, grassland, paved) over a 3-month period in Eugene-Springfield, Oregon, USA. We used remote sensing data (aerial 4-band orthoimagery and LiDAR) and geographic information systems (GIS) to assess detailed site characteristics (e.g., total vegetation cover and structural diversity) for each site. Our initial analysis indicated that site was the most important factor explaining variation in bacterial community structure (R2 = 0.32, p < 0.001), followed by sampling date (R2 = 0.24, p < 0.001), while land cover type was a significant but weak predictor (R2 = 0.06, p < 0.001) and other vegetation metrics were even less predictive. However, when samples were analyzed separately by date, the explanatory power of land cover type increased substantially; six of nine dates showed significant effects (p < 0.05) with R2 ranging from 0.16–0.31, indicating that land cover type had a marked influence on bacterial community structure that was obscured by the effects of site and sampling date. Despite the importance of site as a predictor of bacterial community structure, Mantel tests for spatial correlation were insignificant for most sampling dates, suggesting that localized site characteristics were driving this relationship. We use our results to propose a space-time conceptual model of the interactions between site-scale environmental features (e.g., vegetation characteristics) and regional-scale temporal processes and events (e.g., agricultural harvesting) to understand and perhaps manage intraurban airborne bacterial communities.
Stability of hydroxylamino- and amino-intermediates from reduction of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, and 2,6-dinitrotoluene

Hydroxylamines, produced as intermediates in the reductive metabolism of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, and 2,6-dinitrotoluene between nitroaromatic parent compounds and corresponding amines, were unstable in aqueous solution in the presence of O2. Reactions of hydroxylamines to compounds other than amines may be the major cause of poor mass balance observations in bioremediation systems where only aminated products are monitored. Results demonstrate the formation of azoxy compounds as products of abiotic aryl-hydroxylamine reactions.
Risk and Blood Pressure Control Rates Across the Spectrum of Coronary Artery Disease in Hypertensive Women: An Analysis from The INternational VErapamil SR-Trandolapril STudy (INVEST)

Background: Hypertension is a major modifiable risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), the main cause of death in women. While association between the two is frequent, limited data exist reg...
Abdominal Imaging of Pancreatic Cysts and Cyst-Associated Pancreatic Cancer in BRCA1/2 Mutation Carriers: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Background Direct-to-consumer BRCA testing will increase BRCA diagnoses and subsequent abdominal imaging. It is unclear whether BRCA carriers are at higher risk of developing pancreatic cysts (PCs) or cyst-associated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We investigated the prevalence of PCs in BRCA-tested patients, and whether BRCA-carriers have higher rates of PDAC when PCs are found. Study Design This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients with BRCA testing and abdominal imaging between 1996 and 2018. Pancreatic cysts were identified on original imaging reports. Prevalence and risk characteristics of PCs, as well as incidence of PDAC, were compared between BRCA+, BRCA-, and BRCA-untested patients. Results Pancreatic cysts were identified in 4,045 patients among 128,164 unique patients with abdominal imaging, including 33 patients with PCs in 1,113 BRCA-tested patients. There was no difference in PC prevalence between BRCA+, BRCA-, and untested patients (3.6%, 2.6%, 3.2%, respectively; p = 0.64). Pancreatic cysts were diagnosed in BRCA+ patients at a younger age (57.1 vs 65.3 years, p Conclusions BRCA+ patients have similar rates of PCs, high-risk features in their cysts, and PDAC as BRCA- and untested patients. BRCA+ patients likely do not require dedicated abdominal imaging to evaluate for PCs and should follow management guidelines similar to those as the untested general population if an incidental PC is identified.
Charge-density wave amplitudes in 2H-NbSe/sub 2/ and 2H-TaSe/sub 2/ determined by /sup 77/Se NMR

Measurements of the $^{77}\mathrm{Se}$ nuclear magnetic resonance as a function of temperature are reported for the $2H$ polytypes of Nb${\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ and Ta${\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$. Below the critical temperatures, the charge-density waves (CDW) produce a distribution of Knight shifts resulting in an asymmetrical broadening of the $^{77}\mathrm{Se}$ NMR line. The fractional Knight-shift broadening $\frac{\ensuremath{\Delta}K}{K}$ at 25 K indicates fractional CDW amplitudes of 0.2 and 0.4 at the selenium-crystal sites in Nb${\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ and Ta${\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$, respectively.
The Incidence of Second Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury in Young Athletes is Not Influenced by Time to Return to Sport

Background:Incidence of second anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury among the population of young athletes is reported to be as high as 30%. Time between ACL reconstruction (ACLR) and return to ...
Innate immune genes distinguish the immune microenvironment of early onset colorectal cancer

Abstract Despite a decrease in the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) over the last 40 years, the incidence of CRC in people under 50 years old is increasing around the globe. Early onset (≤50 years old) and late onset (≥65 years old) CRC appear to have differences in their clinicopathological and genetic features, but it is unclear if there are differences in the tumor microenvironment. We hypothesized that the immune microenvironment of early onset CRC is distinct from late onset CRC and promotes tumor progression. We used Nanostring immune profiling to analyze mRNA expression of immune genes in FFPE surgical specimens from patients with early (N=40) and late onset (N=39) CRC. We found three genes, SAA1, C7, and CFD, have increased expression in early onset colorectal cancer and distinct immune signatures based on the tumor location. After adjusting for clinicopathological features, increased expression of CFD and SAA1 were associated with worse progression free survival and increased expression of C7 was associated with worse overall survival. Our data demonstrate that the immune microenvironment in early onset CRC is unique, location dependent, and associated with worse outcomes.
Periprosthetic seroma occurrence after femoropopliteal bypass grafting: Surgical management after failure of non-surgical measures in relieving symptoms.

ObjectivePeriprosthetic seroma is a rare complication of femoropopliteal bypass grafting. Periprosthetic seroma can be defined as the collection of non-infected serous fluid around a prosthetic art...
Trends in Hepatitis B Surveillance Among Pregnant Women in New York City, 1998-2015.

ObjectiveInfants born to women with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are at high risk for chronic HBV infection and premature death. We examined epidemiologic trends among women with HBV infection...
Redesign of the wireless sensor network for tomographic imaging

Radio tomographic imaging (RTI) uses the radio signal strength (RSS) data obtained from a wireless sensor network (WSN) to form images of the obstructions in the network. In the previous design and implementation, the WSN utilized two different wireless transmitter modules along with a microcontroller. The proposed new architecture consists of microcontrollers, which have built-in Wi-Fi modules, and XBee transmitters. The RSS values are generated by the XBee modules as in the previous design. However, in the proposed design, the microcontroller can be connected to a Local Area Network (LAN) via the Wi-Fi router, which enables the main computer to receive the RSS values using the User Diagram Protocol (UDP) for data processing. The new architecture will have a custom designed printed circuit board (PCB) to improve method of powering and physical packaging of the regular nodes. Therefore, this new design will enable the research team to scale the WSN easier and therefore, increase mobility of the sensor nodes for outdoor tests.
Exploration-Exploitation Motivated Variational Auto-Encoder for Recommender Systems

Recent years have witnessed rapid developments on collaborative filtering techniques for improving the performance of recommender systems due to the growing need of companies to help users discover new and relevant items. However, the majority of existing literature focuses on delivering items which match the user model learned from users' past preferences. A good recommendation model is expected to recommend items that are known to enjoy and items that are novel to try. In this work, we introduce an exploitation-exploration motivated variational auto-encoder (XploVAE) to collaborative filtering. To facilitate personalized recommendations, we construct user-specific subgraphs, which contain the first-order proximity capturing observed user-item interactions for exploitation and the high-order proximity for exploration. A hierarchical latent space model is utilized to learn the personalized item embedding for a given user, along with the population distribution of all user subgraphs. Finally, experimental results on various real-world datasets clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed model on leveraging the exploitation and exploration recommendation tasks.
Financial Stewardship through Appropriate Critical Care Procedure Documentation

Background: Critical care is frequently provided in the emergency department (ED) but adequate documentation is inconsistently performed. Critical care (CC) notes are indicated for care if “the failure to initiate these interventions on an urgent basis would likely result in sudden, clinically significant or life threatening deterioration”. CC note are indicated if a single physician provides such care ≥30 minutes, excluding separately billable procedures and teaching time. Appropriate documentation would help optimize charges for the services provided. Locally, CC notes were documented for a minority of eligible patients. Aim: We started this project …
A reexamination of the receptive–expressive language gap in individuals with Down syndrome

Abstract Research that focuses on the expressive–receptive language gap in individuals with Down syndrome has consistently found that receptive language skills are more advanced than expressive language skills. Although this research has been limited to children, the assumption has been made that the relationship between receptive and expressive language skills does not change over the lifespan. The current research focuses on the receptive–expressive language gap in adults with Down syndrome (DS). The first phase of the study used a survey to explore the perceived difficulty of receptive and expressive language tasks by adults with DS. Findings were that the adults perceive receptive language tasks (following instructions) to be more difficult than expressive language tasks (speaking to others at work). The second phase of the study was designed as a follow-up to the survey results to explore the receptive–expressive language gap in greater depth in ten adults with Down syndrome. Formal language testing, surveys and interviews were used. Formal testing indicated that the relationship between receptive and expressive language skills was more individualized in the adults. Survey and interview results indicated that participants perceived receptive skills to be more difficult than expressive skills in employment settings and daily living. Discussion considers reasons for the between subject variation and ramifications for IEP (Individualized Eduation Program) and transition planning. Conclusion is that the assumption cannot be made that the receptive–expressive language gap is the same at different ages and that there is a need to individually assess receptive and expressive language skills at all ages.
SU-E-I-14: Avoiding a Common Pitfall in Performing MTF Measurements with High Resolution Kernels

Purpose: The modulation transfer function (MTF) is frequently used to assess high contrast spatial resolution for routine quality assurance in CT imaging. High resolution reconstruction kernels provide new challenges for MTF estimation. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate the effect of CT number saturation on MTF estimation. Methods: A small bead contained in a CATPHAN 600 phantom was imaged at two different slice thicknesses, 2.5 mm and 5.0 mm, on a GE CT 750 HD scanner using an HD Bone Plus reconstruction algorithm in a high resolution scan mode. The resulting images were 2-D point spread functions (PSF’s), which were integrated to create line spread functions, and Fourier transformed to yield MTF’s. Results: Using a high resolution reconstruction algorithm and the 2.5 mm slice thickness, it was found that the CT number for several pixels in the PSF reached 3071, the maximum value allowed for this system. Using the same algorithm with the 5.0 mm slice, no pixel values reached the CT number limit. Comparing the two MTF’s it was found that the MTF affected by CT number saturation had a 10% cut-off that was shifted downwards, from 15.6 lp/cm to 14.9 lp/cm. Additionally, the MTF affected by CT number saturation exhibited a spurious lobe beyond the true limiting resolution of the CT scanner. Conclusion: The downwards shift in MTF cut-off is a subtle but important effect to consider when attempting to measure MTF for routine quality assurance. While a downwards shift in MTF cut-off is not easily identified, CT number saturation is readily identified in by examining the entire MTF curve and identifying the spurious lobe produced. CT number saturation is an important consideration when examining test objects to be used for MTF estimation when the algorithm being used is high resolution. This work was supported by the AAPM grant for Diagnostic Imaging Residencies
Sensitizer-linked substrates and ligands: ruthenium probes of cytochrome P450 structure and mechanism.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes methodologies for employing sensitizer-linked substrates and ligands as probes of P450 structure and mechanism. Sensitizer-linked substrates target cytochromes P450 in a background of other heme enzymes, and their demonstrated biosensing and substrate screening capabilities may facilitate future drug design efforts. Unlike many structural probes of the P450 hydrophobic pocket, sensitizer-linked substrates bind reversibly and may undergo modest turnover during biological catalysis. Resonance Raman spectroscopy interrogates the heme environment in P450 Fe 2+ -CO Ru-substrate complexes. Ru-substrates complement existing mechanistic probes by providing an efficient ET pathway to the P450 heme through the hydrocarbon linker. Because of rate-limiting ET in the natural enzymatic system reactive Fe-peroxy and ferryl intermediates in P450 catalytic cycles are not readily observable. A general procedure for generating sensitizer-linked substrates is discussed in the chapter through a figure. This protocol may be generalized to include any combination of photosensitizer, linker, and substrate/ligand that targets the desired P450 active site. Ones have synthesized numerous compounds: Ru and Os photosensitizers with substituted bipyridine, terpyridine, phenanthroline, and imidazole ligands; alkyl, polyethylene glycol, perfluorobiphenyl, and polyxylyl linkers; attached via amide, ether, or amino bonds to substrates (adamantane, ethyl benzene, borneol, norbornane, thioanisole styrene) or imidazole ligands.
Cómo fue que El Negrito salvó a México de los franceses: las fuentes populares de la identidad nacional

Durante la Intervencion francesa (1861-1867), el emperador Maximiliano fue objeto del humor satirico, en especialpor medio del teatro guinol itinerante. Una de las obras mas criticas fue "La Guerra de los Pasteles", en la que "el Negrito", un titere celebre que representaba al pueblo mexicano, derrotaba a los franceses. El autor hace una descripcion densa de la obra al estilo de Geertz y la convierte en una ventana hacia las actitudes populares que dieron lugar a la formacion de la identidad nacional. La obra y el titere constituyen una de las fuentes populares que ayudaron a configurar las actitudes hacia la nacion y su pueblo
The Effect of TELs on State Revenue Volatility: Evidence From the American States

Stable revenue flows in the American states are paramount for state policymakers in order to effectively and efficiently provide goods and services to their constituents. However, there has been very little empirical work which examines what political factors are correlated with volatility in state revenue streams. This work examines one wide-spread fiscal limit, tax and expenditure limitations, which a majority of states began adopting after the tax revolt of 1978. Using panel data and time-series cross-sectional analysis, this work finds that states with more stringently binding tax and expenditure limitations—in addition to other political, demographic, economic, and geographic factors—are associated with greater levels of state revenue volatility. Looking at 48 states over 37 years (1969–2005), this relationship is both statistically and substantively significant.
Proliferation, cytokine secretion, and immunosuppressive activity of YFAK-specific regulatory T cells. (THER3P.885)

Autoimmune diseases occur when there is misregulation within the immune system. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are critical for the regulation of this immune response, however, little is known about their own regulation. The induction and activation of Tregs have been shown to alleviate symptoms of autoimmune disease such as human multiple sclerosis (MS). Our lab has identified Tregs that are activated by the random amino acid copolymer YFAK. These YFAK-specific Tregs can reduce the symptoms of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model of MS, more effectively than YEAK (Copaxone), a drug currently used in MS therapy. We have generated both YFAK-specific T cell lines as well as retrogenic mice expressing YFAK-specific T cell receptors (TCR) in order to study the regulation and activation of these beneficial Tregs. We find that these YFAK-specific Tregs will proliferate upon stimulation with glucococorticoid-induced TNF receptor ligand (GITRL). In addition, these Tregs can be activated to produce high levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines, and are immunosuppressive against conventional T cells. We plan to further characterize these YFAK-specific Tregs, as well as to utilize the TCR retrogenic mice in in vivo functional experiments. These studies will help to further explore the use of YFAK-specific Tregs in the prevention of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Finite photonic band gap material based waveguides, power splitters and switches

Summary form only given. Photonic bandgap waveguide structures have been modeled successfully with a FDTD full-wave, vector Maxwell equation simulator. These nanometer sized waveguides and the extension of these geometries to power splitters (T-junctions) and switches (Y-junctions with a defect) are described.
An Analysis of the Construction Industry Structure in India

The Indian construction industry has had poor performance delivering on time, with quality and within cost. Project cost and time deviations have been documented at 25%. The paper introduces the utilization of the Construction Industry Structure model to identify the problem, the solution, and how the paradigm of the Indian industry must be changed. Instead of using peer review to determine the validity of the explanation, the authors will use observable deductive logic to validate their proposal. The success of the explanation is not peer review, but Indian academic/research unit adopting the explanation and running research tests with the construction industry participants. The CIS proposal to the industry is to replace the management, direction and control of personnel and vendors with a transparent system of metrics and utilizing the expertise of the experts in the beginning of the project.