cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sustainable Tuberculosis Drug Development

Six new antituberculosis compounds in 4 classes are presently in clinical trials. Although these show substantial promise for drug-resistant (DR) tuberculosis, the presently planned studies of these compounds will not inform their optimal use, as each will be tested singly vs placebo with existing drugs, rather than in new regimens. Each successive regulatory approval will increase the size, cost, and complexity of trials for those that follow, causing delays during which suboptimal use will occur and resistance will emerge. This paper proposes the development of a novel regimen with the potential for use in both drug-sensitive (DS) and DR tuberculosis. Adaptive licensing for DR tuberculosis based on 2-month sputum culture would shorten time to initial approval by several years. A global outcomes registry would confirm safety and effectiveness in both DS and DR tuberculosis, making possible the second transformation of tuberculosis treatment. We should do our utmost to see it succeed.
Variant forms of cholestatic diseases involving small bile ducts in adults

Abstract OBJECTIVE: Cholestasis may result from diverse etiologies. We review chronic cholestatic disorders involving small intrahepatic bile ducts in the adult ambulatory care setting. Specifically, we discuss variant forms of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) as well as other conditions that may present diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties. METHODS: We conducted a MEDLINE search of the literature (1981–1997) and reviewed the experiences at the Mayo Clinic. All articles were selected that discussed antimitochondrial antibody (AMA)-negative PBC, small-duct PSC (formerly pericholangitis), and idiopathic adulthood ductopenia. RESULTS: The most common chronic cholestatic liver diseases affecting adults are PBC and PSC. Patients without the hallmarks of either syndrome are diagnosed according to their clinical and histological characteristics. Autoimmune cholangitis is diagnosed if clinical and histological features are compatible with PBC but autoantibodies other than AMA are present. Isolated small duct PSC is diagnosed if patients have inflammatory bowel disease, biopsy features compatible with PSC, but a normal cholangiogram. If ductopenia (absence of interlobular bile ducts in small portal tracts) is found histologically in the absence of PSC, inflammatory bowel disease, and other specific cholestatic syndromes such as drug reaction or sarcoidosis, the most likely diagnosis is idiopathic adulthood ductopenia. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these definitions, an algorithm for diagnosis and therapy in patients with laboratory evidence of chronic cholestasis may be constructed, pending results of further investigations into the etiopathogenesis of these syndromes.
An Augmented Reality Interface for Mobile Information Retrieval

Recent years have seen growing interest in mobile augmented reality. The ability to retrieve information and display it as virtual content overlaid on top of an image of the real world is a natural extension to a mobile device equipped with a camera and wireless connectivity. Such applications need to address a number of technical hurdles including target recognition and camera pose estimation. Beyond these fundamental challenges, however, there is the problem of data connectivity and user interface presentation. How do we connect mobile clients to multiple data sources that may be changing in real time and provide the user with a flexible interface for navigating through the relevant content? We present an AR user interface framework specifically designed to expose disparate data sources through a single application server. Our proposed system uses an multi-tier architecture to separate back-end data retrieval from front-end graphical presentation and UI event handling. We describe how it might be used to build an oil platform equipment maintenance system, as an example of a collaborative, data-driven mobile application.
Determination of the optimum packet length and buffer sizes for the industrial building automation and control networks

This paper addresses two issues of the building automation and control networks (BACnet) intended for industrial buildings and implemented on the Ethernet: the determination of (a) optimum packet length, and (b) optimum buffer size. The delay-throughput characteristics of each of the four priority classes of messages, i.e., life safety, critical equipment, urgent, and normal, have been measured by simulation experiments for various packet lengths and buffer sizes. In this way, optimum packet length and buffer sizes have been deduced. The optimum packet length has been obtained by evaluating the effect of increasing packet size for a particular traffic pattern and offered load. The optimum buffer size at a node corresponds to the best overall performance for messages of all priorities in terms of overflow rates at the buffers of the nodes with respect to increasing offered loads. The optimum packet length has been found to be between 720 and 904 bits. If we assign 720 bits as the optimum packet length, the optimum buffer size at each node is found to be between 400 and 450 packets, i.e., approximately 288 to 321 kbits.
Cigarette smoking among high school seniors: Did the rate decline?

Abstract Some questions about adolescent smoking levels as reported in national surveys were recently raised by M. B. Mittelmark, D. M. Murray, R. N. Luepker, and T. F. Pechacek, [ Prev. Med. 11, 708–712 (1982)]: such levels may be underreported, calling into question the decline in adolescent smoking. The present article suggests that the most plausible interpretation of available data is that smoking is, in general, validly reported and that there was a real decline in smoking rates among high school seniors during the period 1977–1981.
The Lived Experience of Serenity: Using Parse’s Research Method:

Parse's research method was used to investigate the meaning of serenity for survivors of a life-threatening illness or traumatic event. Ten survivors of cancer told their stories of the meaning of serenity as they had lived it in their lives. Descriptions were aided by photographs chosen by each participant to represent the meaning of serenity for them. The structure of serenity was generated through the extraction-synthesis process. Four main concepts--steering-yielding with the flow, savoring remembered visions of engaging surroundings, abiding with aloneness-togetherness, and attesting to a loving presence--emerged and led to a theoretical structure of serenity from the human becoming perspective. Findings confirm serenity as a multidimensional process.
Land-Grant Extension: Defining Public Good and Identifying Pitfalls in Evaluation

Land-grant extension is an ongoing example of higher education outreach and community engagement. Population, food, climate, and geographic isolation all factor into the importance of producing and facilitating agricultural knowledge. This qualitative study took place in a geographically isolated region with potential food security issues to highlight the function and role of agricultural extension as a provider of public good. A key component of the study includes the limitation of evaluation methods in documenting extension as a public good.
A Systematic Qualitative Review of Risk and Protective Factors for Sexual Violence Perpetration

The current review summarized results of 191 published empirical studies that examined the risk and protective factors for sexual violence perpetration. Studies in the review examined factors for perpetration by and against adolescents and adults, by male and female perpetrators, and by those who offended against individuals of the same sex or opposite sex. Factors associated with child sexual abuse (CSA) perpetration were not included. In all, 2 societal and community factors, 23 relationship factors, and 42 individual-level factors were identified. Of these 67 factors, consistent significant support for their association with SV was found for 35, nonsignificant effects were found for 10, 7 factors had limited or sample-specific evidence that they were associated with SV but were in need of further study, and 15 demonstrated mixed results. The factors identified in the review underscore the need for comprehensive prevention programs that target multiple risk and protective factors as well as factors that occur across the social ecology. Moreover, we identified two domains of factors--the presence and acceptance of violence and unhealthy sexual behaviors, experiences, or attitudes--that had consistent significant associations with SV but are not typically addressed in prevention programs. Therefore, SV prevention may also benefit from learning from effective strategies in other areas of public health, namely sexual health and youth violence prevention.
Designing a Collaborative Visual Analytics Tool for Social and Technological Change Prediction

This paper discussed about GreenOracle which an interdisciplinary team designed and developed. GreenOracle is a collaborative visual analytics tool for predicting global climate change's impact on US power grids and its implications for society and national security. These future scenarios provide critical assessments and information to help policymakers and stakeholders formulate a coherent and unified strategy toward shaping a safe and secure society.
The Relationship of Worldviews of Advisors and Students and Satisfaction with Advising: A Case of Homogenous Group Impact

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether differences in worldviews between academic advisors and their advisees (both traditional and non-traditional students) impact students' use of and satisfaction with the advising process. This study surveyed 115 students and 5 advisors from a four-year liberal arts university in southeastern United States. Analyses of the data revealed no significant differences among traditional and non-traditional students' worldviews. However the degree of match between advisees and their advisors on two components of worldviews (self-worth and meaningfulness) was related to students' use of and satisfaction with the advising process. There was a significant difference (F = 4.398, p < .0148) between students' self-worth and their perception of whether their advisors understood them. There was also a significant difference (F = 4.172, p < .0183) between student self-worth ratings and their commitment to actively seeking advising. In addition, there was a significant di...
Sociodemographic Differences Within Countries Produce Variable Cultural Values

Values vary more within countries than between countries because cultural values are adapted to sociodemographic conditions. The globalization of capitalism and commerce has increased economic differences between the haves and the have-nots within countries around the world; at the same time, it has decreased differences between countries, as virtually all countries have urbanized, developed communications technologies such as the Internet, and developed their systems of comprehensive formal education. Hence, according to this theoretical framework, one would actually expect increased within-country differences in values and decreased between-country differences in values, relative to earlier periods of history.
Reductive biotransformation of Fe in shale-limestone saprolite containing Fe(III) oxides and Fe(II)/Fe(III) phyllosilicates

A <2.0-mm fraction of a mineralogically complex subsurface sediment containing goethite and Fe(II)/Fe(III) phyllosilicates was incubated with Shewanella putrefaciens (strain CN32) and lactate at circumneutral pH under anoxic conditions to investigate electron acceptor preference and the nature of the resulting biogenic Fe(II) fraction. Anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS), an electron shuttle, was included in select treatments to enhance bioreduction and subsequent biomineralization. The sediment was highly aggregated and contained two distinct clast populations: i) a highly weathered one with “sponge-like” internal porosity, large mineral crystallites, and Fe-containing micas, and ii) a dense, compact one with fine-textured Fe-containing illite and nano-sized goethite, as revealed by various forms of electron microscopic analyses. Approximately 10 to 15% of the Fe(III)TOT was bioreduced by CN32 over 60 d in media without AQDS, whereas 24% and 35% of the Fe(III)TOT was bioreduced by CN32 after 40 and 95 d in media with AQDS. Little or no Fe2+, Mn, Si, Al, and Mg were evident in aqueous filtrates after reductive incubation. Mossbauer measurements on the bioreduced sediments indicated that both goethite and phyllosilicate Fe(III) were partly reduced without bacterial preference. Goethite was more extensively reduced in the presence of AQDS whereas phyllosilicate Fe(III) reduction was not influenced by AQDS.more » Biogenic Fe(II) resulting from phyllosilicate Fe(III) reduction remained in a layer-silicate environment that displayed enhanced solubility in weak acid. The mineralogic nature of the goethite biotransformation product was not determined. Chemical and cryogenic Mossbauer measurements, however, indicated that the transformation product was not siderite, green rust, magnetite, Fe(OH)2, or Fe(II) adsorbed on phyllosilicate or bacterial surfaces. Several lines of evidence suggested that biogenic Fe(II) existed as surface associated phase on the residual goethite, and/or as a Fe(II)-Al coprecipitate. Sediment aggregation and mineral physical and/or chemical factors were demonstrated to play a major role on the nature and location of the biotransformation reaction and its products.« less
Surface consistency constraints in vision

Abstract Most computational theories of early visual processing require, as a first stage, the extraction of a symbolic representation (called theprimal sketch) of noticeable changes in image irradiance. For example, thezero-crossings of a Laplacian of a Gaussian operator applied to the image form the basis of one possible representation. Computational theories of stereo or motion correspondence only specify the computation of three-dimensional surface information at such points. Yet, the visual perception, consistent for different viewers, is clearly of complete surfaces. Since in principle the class of surface which could pass through the known boundary points provided by feature point correspondence is infinite and contains widely varying surfaces, the visual system must incorporate some additional constraints besides the known points to compute the complete surface. Using the image irradiance equation, asurface consistency constraint, referred to informally asno news is good news is derived. The constraint implies that the surface must agree with the correspondence information, andnot vary radically between these points. An explicit form of this surface consistency constraint is derived, by relating the probability of a zero-crossing in a region of the image to the variation in the local surface orientation of the surface, provided that the surface albedo and the illumination are roughly constant. The surface consistency constraint is informally supported by Logan's theorem, which essentially states that all the critical information of a signal is generally contained in its zero-crossings, and by the demonstration that the transformation from surface shape to image irradiance generally preserves zero-crossings. Hence, it is argued that surface shape is implicitly encoded in the positions of the zero-crossings of the convolved images, and further, that the encoding can be at least partially inverted to construct an approximation to the viewed surface from the correspondence information.
Legal Issues Regarding Medical Care for Pregnant Inmates

This article examines mothers in prison, highlighting the complexity and detrimental consequences incarceration has for their families and children. It documents the legal remedies available to pregnant prisoners, focusing on their unique medical needs. After reviewing the U.S. Supreme Court’s standard for liability, the article explores lower court case law to establish the legal parameters of pregnant prisoners’ health care needs. The article concludes that although correctional health care systems have made strides in bringing appropriate medical care to pregnant prisoners, more remains to be done to raise the quality of care to those similarly situated in the free-world.
Cooperative Gating and Spatial Organization of Membrane Proteins through Elastic Interactions

Biological membranes are elastic media in which the presence of a transmembrane protein leads to local bilayer deformation. The energetics of deformation allow two membrane proteins in close proximity to influence each other’s equilibrium conformation via their local deformations, and spatially organize the proteins based on their geometry. We use the mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (MscL) as a case study to examine the implications of bilayermediated elastic interactions on protein conformational statistics and clustering. The deformations around MscL cost energy on the order of 10 kBT and extend ;3 nm from the protein edge, as such elastic forces induce cooperative gating, and we propose experiments to measure these effects. Additionally, since elastic interactions are coupled to protein conformation, we find that conformational changes can severely alter the average separation between two proteins. This has important implications for how conformational changes organize membrane proteins into functional groups within membranes.
Surveillance on Reality Television and Facebook: From Authenticity to Flowing Data

Aligning reality TV (RTV) with social networking sites (SNSs) enables the development of a geneology in the use of surveillance for displays of the self. By moving from "older" media such as TV to "newer" such as SNSs, we gain insight into how issues at stake for critical scholars studying surveillance practices shift when the spaces (and practices) of surveillance change. We bring into conversation work in surveillance studies, critical media studies, RTV, and new media, emphasizing the necessity of seeing connections between types of surveilled subjectivity in popular media as these contribute to a larger ethos about surveillance, subjectivity, data, and our engagement with the world. We suggest that Facebook brackets practices for synthesizing the contextualizing.
The Archaeology of Myth: Rock Art, Ritual Objects, and Mythical Landscapes of the Klamath Basin

Recent research in the Klamath Basin has shown that rock art and landscape are intimately connected, mutually informed by indigenous notions of sacred places. Modeling this landscape has been possible through an understanding of Klamath–Modoc myth. This has led some researchers to derive general interpretations of the rock art that are largely in agreement with Klamath–Modoc spiritual beliefs. I take this approach a step further and propose interpretations for specific rock art images and ritual objects, arguing that oral traditions harbor the fundamental logic that underpinned shamanic rituals that led to the creation of these paraphernalia.
A new crossed staircase dipole antenna for 915 MHz RFID application

A crossed meander antenna and a crossed staircase antenna are studied for RFID based sensor networks. Both antennas are designed to operate in the unlicensed 915 MHz frequency band. Each antenna occupies a printed circuit board area of 152 by 102 sq. mm. It is demonstrated that the crossed staircase antenna has low mutual coupling (<-30 dB), overall good radiation pattern coverage, and high peak gain (2.1 dBi) suitable for RFID based sensor networks.
Chemical genetics: exploring and controlling cellular processes with chemical probes.

Abstract The new field of chemical biology brings together chemists and biologists who are seeking to understand and mimic the natural world. One research strategy in this new field is the development of biologically active small molecules as molecular probes. This approach, which has been called ‘chemical' genetics, has allowed elucidation of several pathways that have been difficult to study using traditional genetic approaches.
Forest leaf area density profiles from the quantitative fusion of radar and hyperspectral data

[1] The leaf area density (LAD) of a forest is an important indicator of forest biomass and is therefore pertinent to monitoring carbon sequestration and change. Quantitative physical models were used to estimate forest LAD from radar and hyperspectral airborne remote sensing observations. A parameter-estimation technique based on physical models minimizes the need for in situ observations and thereby facilitates global remote sensing of forest structure. Using data from the NASA Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR) and the NASA Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) over three forest plots in Central Oregon, parameters were estimated separately from the radar and hyperspectral data and then combined to form LAD. Gaussian relative LAD profiles were estimated from multialtitude interferometric and polarimetric AIRSAR data. Leaf area indices (LAI) were estimated from AVIRIS data and used to normalize the relative density profiles to produce LAD as a function of height. LAD was also determined from field measurements of geometric tree properties and LAI. LADs in the three forest plots were in the 0.02–0.18 m2 m−3 range, with LAIs in the range 0.8–2.4 m2 m−2. The agreement between the remotely sensed and field-measured LAD was typically 0.02 m2 m−3 but occasionally as high as 0.06 m2 m−3, which was within a 1–2 standard error range. More complex models for the remotely sensed relative density, along with more diverse radar observation strategies, will improve LAD accuracy in the future. LAD estimation will also improve when radar, hyperspectral, and other relevant remote sensing data sets are combined in a single parameter-estimation process, as opposed to the separate estimations performed in this first LAD demonstration.
Lincoln and May: Destiny Visible in the Life of the Great Emancipator

The author presents the life of Abraham Lincoln as an example of Rollo May’s philosophical conceptualization of destiny. May used the term destiny to refer to the talents and limitations fated to us. Moreover, he emphasized the responsibility to act with freedom to shape destiny. In overcoming hardship and achieving greatness, Lincoln challenged his destiny. Additionally, the author proposes that Lincoln’s depression was precipitated by a moral crisis, relating to his personal responsibility in developing “self.” Lincoln’s observations about the causes of his depression are understood in terms of encounters with destiny. Not in spite of but because of his misery, he defined and fulfilled his destiny, thereby creating a life of meaning and significance. Thus, Lincoln is presented as a model for May’s ideas about challenging life’s limitations, developing talents, grappling with life’s pain, and creating meaning.
Event related potentials (P3) in AIDS

ABSTRACT.AIDS dementia, and the more subtle forms of cognitive dysfunction which may precede it, are important but poorly understood aspects of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Event related potential (ERP) data have been obtained from 83 HIV+ subjects at a first, 47 at a second, and 29 at a third examination at six month intervals. Significant increases in P3 latency in both asymptomatic and symptomatic groups were found by repeated measures testing. N2 latencies were significantly prolonged in both the asymptomatic and symptomatic groups relative to control values but did not increase with time. Earlier (N1 and P2) components were not increased although a trend was present for an increase in P2 over time. A significant difference between asymptomatic and symptomatic groups was not defined for any ERP component latency.The N2 and the P3 components of the P3 event related potential are frequently abnormal in HIV+ subjects with the P3 latency showing increasing abnormality over time. There has...
Compliance with an Interview Request: A Foot-in-the-Door, Self-Perception Interpretation:

The foot-in-the-door technique, derived from a social-psychological concept which suggests that compliance with a relatively large request is significantly more likely to occur if preceded by compl...
The future of laparoscopy in urology.

La laparoscopie n'a pas aussi radicalement modifie la technique urologique qu'on aurait pu le prevoir. Au lieu des 70 % envisages, on n'execute que 17 % des techniques urologiques sous laparoscopie. Cette proportion reduite prend neanmoins 30 % du temps operatoire des urologues. de la propose dans certains cas une combinaison de la chirurgie ouverte et de la laparoscopie. Il n'en reste pas moins que la laparoscopie entraine moins de perte de sang, moins de douleur post-operatoire, un plus court sejour en clinique, une toute petite cicatrice. Ceci explique son audience aupres du public. Dans l'avenir, on trouvera une association raisonnable de la laparoscopie, de l'endoscopie et du bistouri pour traiter les maladies urologiques.
Challenges of corneal infections.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Ocular infections remain an important cause of blindness worldwide and represent a challenging public health concern. In this regard, microbial keratitis due to fungal, bacterial, or viral infection can result in significant vision loss secondary to corneal scarring or surface irregularity. Left untreated corneal perforation and endophthalmitis can result, leading to loss of the eye. Rigorously studied animal models of disease pathogenesis have provided novel information that suggests new modes of treatment that may be efficacious clinically and emerging clinical data is supportive of some of these discoveries.Areas covered: This review focuses on advances in our understanding of disease pathogenesis in animal models and clinical studies and how these relate to improved clinical treatment. We also discuss a novel approach to treatment of microbial keratitis due to infection with these bacterial pathogens using PACK-CXL and recommend increased basic and clinical studies to address and...
Top-of-Climb Matching Method for Reducing Aircraft Trajectory Prediction Errors

The inaccuracies of the aircraft performance models utilized by trajectory predictors with regard to takeoff weight, thrust, climb profile, and other parameters result in altitude errors during the climb phase that often exceed the vertical separation standard of 1000 feet. This study investigates the potential reduction in altitude trajectory prediction errors that could be achieved for climbing flights if just one additional parameter is made available: top-of-climb (TOC) time. The TOC-matching method developed and evaluated in this paper is straightforward: a set of candidate trajectory predictions is generated using different aircraft weight parameters, and the one that most closely matches TOC in terms of time is selected. This algorithm was tested using more than 1000 climbing flights in Fort Worth Center. Compared to the baseline trajectory predictions of a real-time research prototype (Center/TRACON Automation System), the TOC-matching method reduced the altitude root mean square error (RMSE) for a 5-minute prediction time by 38%. It also decreased the percentage of flights with absolute altitude error greater than the vertical separation standard of 1000 ft for the same look-ahead time from 55% to 30%.
Investigating the influences of climate on the high elevation snowpack hydrology in the upper Colorado region.

INVESTIGATING THE INFLUENCES OF CLIMATE ON HIGH ELEVATION SNOWPACK HYDROLOGY IN THE UPPER COLORADO REGION Claire-Louise Bode April 13, 2016 A change in climate in the western United States has already affected and will continue to affect the onset of snow melt in many parts of the country. The effect of climate change on snow water equivalent, snowmelt runoff and total streamflow with respect to their elevation distribution is examined across the Colorado Headwaters Basin. This is a high altitude location within the Upper Colorado Basin region. The total streamflow of this region has a significant contribution from the spring season snow melt. An increase in air temperature in the Colorado Headwaters Basin over a few years will change the onset of the spring snowmelt for that season. These changes will affect many aspects of water management and utilization that the region is extremely dependent on. Snow water equivalent (SWE), mean/minimum air temperature and USGS stream gage data were collected and analyzed using Pearson correlation to assess whether warmer air temperatures corresponded to reduced snow water equivalent and streamflow discharge for each month at each station and gage in the basin at the 5% level of statistical significance. A linear regression test followed to test for trends across a 30-year time period from 1986 to 2015, followed by a series of Runs tests for stationarity which are
Conducting and Socially Validating Experiments

Prior to starting an experiment, it is useful to develop a detailed written description of how the study will be conducted. Such a plan will provide answers to the kinds of questions listed in Table 2.1 and will describe the basis on which individual subjects will be exposed to particular conditions. The researcher must develop a detailed research plan in order to ascertain necessary resources and to obtain permission from research review committees to conduct a study. Such a plan also helps to ensure that the conditions arranged in a study actually are comparable to those intended by the person who designed the study.
Numerical Model of Thermoelectric Topping Cycle of Coal Fired Power Plant

Traditional fossil fuel power generation process typically has low efficiency. Large amount of the energy loss in Rankine cycle steam turbines (ST) is due to the temperature difference between the combustion flame temperature ∼2250 K (adiabatic) and the high pressure steam temperature up to 900 K. However, some of this energy can be harvested using solid-state thermoelectric (TE) power generators which are placed into the gap between the flame temperature and the steam temperature that produce additional electrical power. This study investigates the potential placement of TE on water tube wall inside a boiler at a coal fired power plant. Three dimensional (3D) numerical model of a simplified TE module is developed and hot gas temperature and steam temperature from the boiler are used as boundary conditions at the hot side and cold side of the TE. The numerical results are compared with analytical calculations. The 3D effects of the thermal spreading in the TE module are investigated. Parameters such as TE leg cross-section area and TE fill factor are examined in order to maximize the electrical power production of the TE without sacrificing the boiler efficiency (i.e., reducing the steam temperature). The study also looks into the various locations inside the boiler that have good potential for TE installation.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Prosthetic Replacement of the Ocular Surface Ecosystem Treatment of Ocular Surface Disease After Skull Base Tumor Resection.

Background Prosthetic replacement of the ocular surface ecosystem (PROSE) treatment is an effective, nonsurgical therapeutic option for patients with ocular surface disease related to cranial nerve deficits secondary to skull base tumor resection. Methods This case series describes the impact of PROSE treatment in patients with symptomatic exposure keratopathy or neurotrophic keratitis after skull base tumor surgery. Results All patients improved symptomatically and functionally with PROSE treatment, and have had sustained improvement for as long as 3 years. Conclusions In postneurosurgical cases in which neurologic function may recover, PROSE treatment offers a safe, nonsurgical treatment option to support the ocular surface during the period of observation awaiting neurologic recovery.
Plant-Herbivore Interactions in Stream Systems

Ecological theories of herbivory have been derived primarily from terrestrial research because man has long depended on domesticated grazers and has suffered the detrimental consequences of outbreaks of phytophagous insects. Only in recent decades has the amount of information on herbivory in aquatic ecosystems grown sufficiently to stimulate development of general theories of herbivory for these systems.
The Increasingly Precarious Nature of Self-Employment

This chapter examines self-employment with a focus on petty commerce. I depict the massive growth in the numbers of small businesses and street vendors at the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the new millennium. I argue that although in the 1980s petty commerce and production might have been an alternative to registered salaried work and a solution to the unemployment crisis because it was more viable, in the years of the unemployment crisis of 1996 until 2003 it became more precarious because of the absence of at least one salaried household member to be able to buy raw materials and goods in bulk and have access to health insurance, the lack of paying clients and growing competition.
Frequent sequence variant in the human tyrosine hydroxylase gene

A polymorphism of human tyrosine hydroxylase changing the amino acid 81Val to 81Met is located in exon 2 of the human tyrosine hydroxylase gene.
Analysis of the Ecological Risks Associated with Genetically Engineered Marine Macroorganisms

In 1987, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) reported an “urgent need for the scientific community to provide guidance to both investigators and regulators in evaluating planned introductions of modified organisms from an ecological perspective” (NAS, 1987). As biotechnology and its applications have expanded to include oceanic life forms, the need for ecological analysis from a marine perspective has also increased. This chapter aims to provide specific recommendations and analyses to minimize ecological risks associated with uncontained applications of transgenic marine macroorganisms. To accomplish this goal, we examine marine life history strategies, including unique mechanisms of reproduction and dispersal; discuss the implications for risk assessment of the differences between marine and terrestrial/freshwater systems; propose a model to identify causes of ecological effects associated with introductions of transgenic organisms into the marine environment; and apply the model to outline potential ecological risks posed by the products of marine biotechnology that will have to be considered as regulatory agencies implement formal risk assessment procedures.
Integrating User-Centered Design Knowledge with Scenarios

This chapter explores issues related to integration, management, and use of multidisciplinary, user-centered system design knowledge. A pressing need exists for theory, techniques, and tools for management of the knowledge emergent in complex system development efforts. Challenges to effective system design knowledge management are many, and span the range of engineering, psychological, and social sciences. We need repositories and other points of exchange for system design knowledge, and conceptual catalysts to support value-added integration of the results from multi-disciplinary, user-centered design research and practice. This chapter outlines a research program for design knowledge management based on the use of scenarios as anchors for design rationale, and on the importance of interaction activity design as a means to make this knowledge accessible. We describe an example of how the approach is being applied and report on our on-going projects in the area.
On fourier’s analysis of linear inequality systems

Fourier treated a system of linear inequalities by a method of elimination of variables. This method can be used to derive the duality theory of linear programming. Perhaps this furnishes the quickest proof both for finite and infinite linear programs. For numerical evaluation of a linear program, Fourier’s procedure is very cumbersome because a variable is eliminated by adding each pair of inequalities having coefficients of opposite sign. This introduces many redundant inequalities. However, modifications are possible which reduce the number of redundant inequalities generated. With these modifications the method of Fourier becomes a practical computational algorithm for a class of parametric linear programs.
Development of an axial-flow centrifugal gas bubble separator for use in MSR xenon removal system

An axial-flow centrifugal type bubble separator was developed for application in the xenon removal system proposed for a moltensalt breeder reactor. The gas bubbles in this type separator would be driven toward the centerline by the radial pressure gradient developed in the liquid vortex. The gas would be collected in a void along the centerline and would be removed along wtth some entrained liquid through takeoff ports on both the upstream and downstream ends of the separator. The theory of operation as well as the design and development testing of a 500 gpm separator having a gas capacity of about 1.3 scfm at 1300 deg F, is described. The separation efficiency at design flow rates varied between 80% and 95% depending on the bubble diameter and test fluid. (auth)
Buried Rib SiO 2 Multimode Interference Waveguides for Optofluidic Multiplexing

Multimode interference (MMI) waveguides can be used to create wavelength-dependent spot patterns which enables simultaneous analyte detection on a single optofluidic chip, useful for disease diagnostics. The fidelity of such multi-spot patterns is important for high sensitivity and accurate target identification. Buried rib structures have been incorporated into these SiO2-based waveguides to improve environmental stability. Through experiments and simulation, this letter explores design parameters for a buried MMI rib waveguide based on anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguides in order to produce high-fidelity spot patterns. Optimal rib heights and widths are reported in the context of available microfabrication etch technology and performance for an optimized biosensor is shown.
Satisfaction Academy: A Novel Residency Curriculum to Improve the Patient Experience in the Emergency Department

Introduction Patient satisfaction is a key indicator of health care value and an increasingly important metric used to assess emergency physician performance and often reimbursement. To our knowled...
Maintenance therapy with trastuzumab +/- fluoropyrimidine in non-progressive HER-2 positive advanced gastroesophageal cancer patients after first-line chemotherapy.

e16071Background: The maintenance of anti-HER2 is often used in breast cancer patients despite the lack of strong evidence. In patients with HER-positive advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (A...
Toward a Shared Decision: Against the Fiction of the Autonomous Individual

Western, specifically American, medical ethicists, in a reaction against a particular narrative of medical paternalism, have called for the use of a shared decision making process. Increasingly, this process is primarily aimed at honoring the autonomy of the patient. However, the concept of autonomy invoked often assumes an isolated, idealistic, individual deciding amongst neutral options from an objective position free from all biases. However, such an individual original position is fictional. American physicians, complicit in this false assumption, have been reduced to providers of options instead of givers of guidance. This paper describes a better path to achieve a shared decision that respects and serves patients. It urges physicians to employ an appropriate degree of directiveness. Further, it argues that one may enhance the true autonomy of patients by engaging their rich contextual influences and biases. This will include communal decisions, decisions that include the family or other significant community. The common experience of communal decision making amongst certain families and religious communities in the United States are positive examples. Using the frame of end-of-life care decisions, including considerations of decision burden and bereavement, the superiority of family or community oriented decision-making is explored with arguments of inherent value and positive potential consequences.
Influence of Sweep Length on Rice Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Capture and Reliability of Population Density Estimates

The rice stink bug, Oebalus pugnax (F.), is a key pest of heading rice, Oryza sativa L. (Poales: Poaceae), in the southern United States. Sweep net sampling is the recommended method for sampling rice stink bug in rice, but there currently exists no specific recommendation for sweep length, and a large amount of variation likely exists amongst samplers. The objectives of this study were to determine the role that sweep length plays in sampling accuracy and determine the feasibility of using sweep lengths smaller than 180°. When monitoring sweep lengths by consultants, producers, and researchers, a large amount of variation in sweep length and a significant linear relationship between sweep length and rice stink bug catch per 10 sweeps was observed. Sweep length was then controlled at three levels (0.8, 1.8, and 3.5 m) and a change from 0.8 to 1.8 m in sweep length led to an increase on average of 2.28 rice stink bugs per 10 sweeps. These data suggest knowledge of sweep length is vital, and paired with large amounts of observed variation in sweep length, recommending a specific sweep length is ideal. Using Taylor's values, it was determined that 1.8 m sweeps resulted in density estimates that were as reliable as 3.5 m (180°) sweeps, suggesting a longer sweep length was not necessary. A 1.8 m sweep length recommendation would create an easier sampling regimen that is still reliable, which could lead to more accurate action threshold decisions being made for rice stink bug if it increases adoption in consultants and producers.
Anti-inflammatory and Immunosuppressive Effects of Panax notoginseng

Here, we designed to examine the anti-inflammatory effects on RAW264.7 cells and the immunosuppressive effects by evaluating interleukin-2 (IL-2) production in Jurkat T cells using a MeOH extract of Panax notoginseng roots. The results showed that the MeOH extract inhibited the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) in a dose-dependent manner (IC50 value of 7.08 μg/mL) and displayed effects on T cell activation at a concentration of 400 μg/mL. In efforts to identify the potent compounds, bioactivity-guided fractionation of the MeOH extract and chemical investigation of its active CH2Cl2-, EtOAc-, and butanol- soluble fractions led to the successful isolation and identification of eleven compounds, including two polyacetylenes (1, 2), a steroid saponin (3), seven dammarane-type ginsenosides (4 - 10), and an oleanane-type ginsenoside (11). Among them, compound 11 was isolated from this plant for the first time. Compound 2 exhibited potent inhibitory effects on NO synthesis and an immunosuppressive effect with IC50 values of 2.28 and 65.57 μM, respectively.
Assessing the feasibility and stability of uracil base flipping in RNA–small molecule complexes using molecular dynamics simulations

Small molecules can be used to target RNAs that mediate disease. A fundamental understanding of binding interactions between RNA and small molecules and the structure of their complexes will furthe...
Anthropology without Belief: An Anti-representationalist Ontological Turn:

Rejecting the category of belief is one of the most striking and profound ideas to emerge from the ontological turn. This essay will argue that the rejection of belief is best understood as part of...
Building a Scalable Infrastructure: To grow computational research and enhance collaboration across the research enterprise

This paper documents our experience in building a scalable cyberinfrastructure to grow computational research and enhance collaboration across the research enterprise. It describes a modernized research computing system built on the principles of Software Defined Infrastructure (SDI) and DevOps. This approach helps develop, test and deploy enhancements to our High Performance Computing (HPC) platform. By separating development from production, the approach offers opportunities to train developers new to distributed systems and HPC platforms, safely gaining advanced skills in demand but not common in today’s job market. Providing a deployment pipeline empowers teams with varying skill levels to effectively contribute enhancements to HPC platforms extending the capacity of operations professionals. The paper highlights our experience in setting up a web frontend for HPC resources in the form of Open OnDemand. The Open OnDemand web interface new users transition from their dedicated workstations to the HPC ecosystem. Most recently this model has been extended to manifest a DataOps team focused on analyzing operational cluster data sets. Their analysis uses XDMOD and Jupyter notebooks, available on the cluster through Open OnDemand, to review wait times and utilization providing direct feedback on scheduling policy. This review helps validate user experiences and ensures we define our infrastructure in a way that is most useful for our researchers. This knowledge has contributed to optimize workflows for research teams on campus. An open-source SDI and DevOps principles enable broader collaboratations with with research teams on and off campus, delivering rapid improvements across teams that can share processes. This discussion further highlights the importance to collaboration of open-source tooling and sites like GitHub.com and self-hosted community edition of GitLab.
Treatment trends and overall survival in patients with grade II/III ependymoma: The role of tumor grade and location.

Abstract Background Treatment of ependymoma (EPN) is guided by associated tumor features, such as grade and location. However, the relationship between these features with treatments and overall survival in EPN patients remains uncharacterized. Here, we describe the change over time in treatment strategies and identify tumor characteristics that influence treatment and survival in EPN. Methods and materials Using the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 18 Registries (1973–2016) database, we identified patients with EPN microscopically confirmed to be grade II (EPN-GII) or III (EPN-GIII) tumors between 2004−2016. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival estimates and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. A sub-analysis was performed by tumor location (supratentorial, posterior fossa, and spine). Change over time in rates of gross total resection (GTR), radiotherapy (RT), and chemotherapy (CS) were analyzed using linear regression, and predictors of treatment were identified using multivariable logistic regression models. Results Between 2004–2016, 1,671 patients were diagnosed with EPN, of which 1,234 (74 %) were EPN-GII and 437 (26 %) EPN-GIII. Over the study period, EPN-GII patients underwent a less aggressive treatment (48 % vs 27 %, GTR; 60 % vs 30 %, RT; 22 % vs 2%, CS; 2004 vs 2016; p Conclusions In EPN, tumor grade and location are predictors of treatment and overall survival. These findings support the importance of histologic WHO grade and location in the decision-making for treatment and their role in individualizing treatment for different patient populations.
Russian Industrial Sector in December 2020

The enterprises needed three months to overcome the April decline in demand, and in July, the estimates reached the pre-crisis level. Then there was a three-month pause, followed by growing demand, according to manufacturers’ estimates. The growth rate of sales increased by 9 p.p. in November after an interruption in August-October.