cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injuries After Esophagectomy

Unilateral vocal-cord paralysis after esophagectomy involving a cervical anastomosis is uncommon in experienced hands but can cause marked morbidity because of pulmonary complications. It is important for the surgeon to understand the anatomy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve to avoid this complication. The diagnosis is usually easily made at the bedside and can be confirmed by visualization of the glottis. Early treatment may include supportive care with a speech pathologist or injection of the vocal-cord with temporary material to improve glottic closure. Definitive treatment can best be performed by medialization thyroplasty.
Desorption ionization combined with tandem mass spectrometry: Advantages for investigating complex lipids, disaccharides and organometallic complexes†

Combining desorption ionization with tandem mass spectrometry overcomes the disadvantage of limited fragmentation accompanying desorption and permits mixtures of closely related substances to be investigated directly. These features of the combination are illustrated by completing the structure-proof of a minor component of an ornithine-containing lipid mixture isolated from Thiobacillus thiooxidans. The minor component is a homolog of the major constituent and differs from the principal component owing to the presence of a double bond in lieu of a cyclopropyl ring in one of the constituent fatty acids. Another feature of the combined method is the potentially complementary nature of collision-activated dissociation spectra of protonated and cationized biomolecules. This is illustrated by the differences in the collision-activated dissociations of the [M + Na]+ of sucrose, desorbed by field desorption, and [M + H]+, desorbed by fast atom bombardment. A third illustration is the application of field desorption and tandem mass spectrometry to an organometallic compound. The combined approach allows the ligands to be identified and the relative ligand binding energies to be approximated.
Reforming medical education: a review and synthesis of five critiques of medical practice.

For physicians to provide appropriate healthcare at a reasonable cost, health reform may not be enough. This essay discusses the scope of educational reform needed in the U.S. to train tomorrow’s physicians to practice effectively in an increasingly complicated health care arena. We undertook a review and synthesis of five critiques of medical practice in the U.S.: of quality, evidence-based medicine, population medicine, health policy and heuristics. Our findings suggest that physicians are inadequately trained to function in the complex organizational and social systems that characterize modern practice. Successful health care reform in the U.S. will require physicians who are trained not only in bio-medicine, but also in the social sciences. Other developed countries, which have both greater government control of health care and a culture less oriented to individualism, may have less need for specific efforts to train physicians in the social sciences but could still benefit from considering an expanded curriculum. Effective educational reform must address the medical admissions process, academic and intellectual preparation, and professional and clinical training.
Micro-coaxial V-/W-band filters and contiguous diplexers

A millimetre-wave diplexer is demonstrated using two singly terminated bandpass filters fabricated using surface micromachined rectangular-coaxial transmission lines. Modified seventh order Chebyshev bandpass filters with 0.1 dB passband ripple are designed to operate from 50 to 75 GHz and from 75 to 110 GHz. These two filters are simply combined using a common junction to form a contiguous 50-75 GHz and 75-110 GHz diplexer. The singly terminated filter values are adjusted by use of a common factor that modifies the admittance properties of the filter to facilitate their parallel combination. The two filters and their diplexer combination are fabricated and the measurements are compared favourably to the theoretical models.
The Economic Development Impacts of Universities on Regions: Do Size and Distance Matter?

As American colleges and universities have increasingly become involved in economic development since the mid-1980s, there has been a concomitant growth of interest in measuring the impacts of high...
Micromachined, silicon filament light source for spectrophotometric microsystems

A miniature broadband light source is a critical element in a spectrophotometric microsystem. The design, fabrication, and characterization of a highly stable, miniature broadband light source that comprises filaments of single-crystal silicon are presented. Electrical current versus voltage and radiant emittance spectra under constant voltage bias are measured and related to filament dimensions. A maximum stable operating temperature for these filaments is estimated to be 1200 K. Resistance drift is demonstrated to be less than 0.5% over a 10-h period of continuous operation with visible incandescence. Emittance spectra of a multifilament array, measured at three different electrical biases, are presented and shown to compare well with theoretical blackbody radiation spectra. A continuous, total radiated power of 10.7 mW was achieved with a 1 mm × 1 mm filament array with peak emittance at λ = 2.7 µm.
Relationship Between Elaiosome and EFN Gland Size in Castor Bean (Ricinus Communis L.), an Exotic Mymercophyte in Southern California

Abstract. Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) relies on seed dispersal by attracting ants with elaiosomes; lipid rich seed appendages, which serve as a source of food for ant larvae. Additionally, castor bean petioles and inflorescences have extra floral nectary (EFN) glands that secrete sugars that also attract ants, which in return, defend against herbivores. We propose that in order to attract ants, castor bean would have to balance allocation of energy toward plant defense and seed dispersal per the Principle of Allocation. Specifically, we hypothesized that in castor bean, an increase in elaiosome size would correspond to result in a decrease in EFN gland size. We examined proportion of elaiosome:seed (by weight) investment relative to the EFN gland size on a given castor bean plant. We found that elaiosome weight was not correlated with EFN gland area (p = 0.1542), and report a one to five fold range in elaiosome investment across 34 plants. We present a range of environmental factors contributing to ...
Otolaryngology training programs: resident and faculty perception of the mentorship experience.

Objectives/Hypothesis The purpose of this study is to compare faculty and trainees' perceptions of their mentorship experience in otolaryngology training programs in order to identify areas where improvements could yield more productive mentorship. Study Design Cross-sectional survey design. Methods Residents and faculty from three otolaryngology–head and neck surgery programs were surveyed regarding their perceptions of their mentoring relationship. Trainees were asked about the characteristics of their mentorship experience. Separately, faculty were asked to describe their mentorship relationship, available resources to provide effective mentorship, and to identify areas in which formal training would improve their mentoring skills. Results Forty-eight trainees (72%) and sixty-one faculty members (73%) completed the survey. Ninety percent of residents meet with their mentors at least twice a year. Faculty and residents (> 80%) agreed that career planning was the most commonly addressed topic in mentorship sessions. However, faculty and residents differed in their perceptions of providing mentorship in other areas including clinical judgment (P = 0.003). The majority of faculty (56%) felt that formal mentorship training would improve their mentorship skills. While 95% of mentees agreed that their mentor is accessible, only 46% of faculty believed they have enough time to dedicate to mentoring (P < 0.001). Conclusions Mentees are generally satisfied with the mentoring they receive, while most mentors are not satisfied with the time they have to provide mentorship. Further insights into differences in faculty and trainee perceptions may improve the mentorship experience. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 123:1876–1883, 2013
Adaptive neural network control of cyclic movements using functional neuromuscular stimulation

In this study, we evaluated the performance of an adaptive feedforward controller and its ability to automatically develop and customize stimulation patterns for use in functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS) systems. Results from previous experiments using the pattern generator/pattern shaper (PG/PS) controller to generate isometric contractions demonstrated its ability to adjust stimulation patterns to account for recruitment nonlinearities and muscle dynamics. In this study, the PG/PS controller was tested under isotonic conditions. This evaluation required the PG/PS controller to account for muscle length-tension and force-velocity properties as well as limb dynamics. The performance of the adaptive controller was also compared with that of a proportional-derivative (PD) feedback controller. The PG/PS controller is composed of a neural network system that adaptively filters a periodic signal to produce a muscle stimulation pattern for generating cyclic movements. We used computer-simulated models to determine controller parameters for the PG/PS and PD controller that perform well across a variety of musculoskeletal systems. The controllers were then experimentally evaluated on both legs of two subjects with spinal cord injury. Results indicated that the PG/PS controller was able to achieve and maintain better tracking performance than the PD controller. This study indicates that the PG/PS control system may provide an effective mechanism for automatically customizing stimulation patterns for individuals using FNS systems.
EM mixture model probability table compression

This paper presents a new probability table compression method based on mixture models applied to N-tuple recognizers. Joint probability tables are modeled by lower dimensional probability mixtures and their mixture coefficients. The maximum likelihood parameters of the mixture models are trained by the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm and quantized to one byte integers. The probability elements which mixture models do not estimate reliably are kept separately. Experimental results with on-line handwritten UNIPEN digits show that the total memory size of an N-tuple recognizer is reduced from 11.8 Mbytes to 0.55 Mbytes, while the recognition rate drops from 97.7% to 97.5%.
The Criminal Jurisdiction of Governors

I will begin this investigation by summarising Mommsen's views on the powers of governors, as I understand them. According to Mommsen, the task of the Republican governor was to administer civil justice and to maintain the obedience of subjects and slaves. He was as little a criminal judge as the Roman praetor, whose title he originally bore. His capacity to employ coercitio against non-citizens (and citizens also, until the appeal laws and the Sempronian law were issued) was derived from his military imperium and was quite distinct from criminal jurisdiction. Criminal justice was dispensed for aliens by the local communities and for Roman citizens in the provinces by the courts in Rome.With the Empire came two innovations (Mommsen thought). First, local autonomy was restricted. Subject cities lost to the governor their prerogative of imposing serious penalties; even Roman municipia surrendered much of their criminal jurisdiction. Secondly, military imperium, already checked by Republican laws (above), was further limited by the Augustan law on public violence. This development, implying in itself that the governor had become a fully-fledged criminal judge, ensured that capital jurisdiction over citizens was concentrated, as before, in Rome.
On-demand multicast routing protocol in multihop wireless mobile networks

An ad hoc network is a dynamically reconfigurable wireless network with no fixed infrastructure or central administration. Each host is mobile and must act as a router. Routing and multicasting protocols in ad hoc networks are faced with the challenge of delivering data to destinations through multihop routes in the presence of node movements and topology changes. This paper presents the On-Demand Multicast Routing Protocol (ODMRP) for wireless mobile and hoc networks. ODMRP is a mesh-based, rather than a conventional tree-based, multicast scheme and uses a forwarding group concept; only a subset of nodes forwards the multicast packets via scoped flooding. It applies on-demand procedures to dynamically build routes and maintain multicast group membership. ODMRP is well suited for ad hoc wireless networks with mobile hosts where bandwidth is limited, topology changes frequently, and power is constrained. We evaluate ODMRP performance with other multicast protocols proposed for ad hoc networks via extensive and detailed simulation.
Analysis of Rail Transit Project Selection Bias With an Incentive Approach

Rail transit investments have been widely supported by the local planning agencies and government financing resources for their perceived environmental and social benefits, as well as the compact development patterns rail corridors support. Despite the widespread expectations, the sustainability of rail transit projects is often found questionable, as are the actual benefits rail investments can bring about in practice. One of the reasons for rail investments' tendency to perform less well than expected has been identified as a prevailing bias of local officials toward high-capital rail transit investments that are underwritten by the transit financing mechanism (Johnston et al., 1988; Kain, 1990; Pickrell, 1992; Richmond, 1999; Flyvbjerg et al., 2003, 2004, 2005). This article examines the funding mechanism problem underlying the rail transit project selection bias and hypothesizes this problem to be a principal-agent problem. Incentive theory is introduced as an analytical tool to model the problem, to better understand the nature and causes of the problem, and to suggest solutions to it. By applying incentive theory to analyze the project development process of the US New Starts program, it is suggested that the funding mechanism problem associated with the bias toward capital-intensive rail investments can be viewed as a principal-agent problem between the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) (the principal) and local project sponsors (the agent). The incentive approach proposed in this article provides insights for analyzing the relation between central government and local agencies in the planning and decision-making process of rail transit investment, and for addressing political problems, primarily rent-seeking behaviors, associated with central government earmark funding. Language: en
Relative Roles of Circumnavigating Waves and Extratropics on the MJO and Its Relationship with the Mean State

AbstractA set of atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) experiments is designed to explore the relative roles of the circumnavigating waves and the extratropics on the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO). In a “control” simulation, the model is forced by the climatological monthly sea surface temperature for 20 yr. In the first sensitivity experiment, model prognostic variables are relaxed in the tropical Atlantic region (20°S–20°N, 80°W–0°) toward the “controlled” climatological annual cycle to suppress the influences from the circumnavigating waves. In the second sensitivity experiment, model prognostic variables are relaxed in the 20°–30° latitude zones toward the controlled climatological annual cycle to suppress the influences from the extratropics (or the tropics–extratropics interactions). The numerical results demonstrate that the extratropics play a more important role in maintaining the MJO variance than the circumnavigating waves.The simulations further show that both the tropical mean precipi...
Infrared Multiple Photon Photochemistry of Gas Phase Ions

An ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) spectrometer can be used to generate, trap, and detect gas phase ions which are irradiated with an infrared laser. Infrared multiple photon (IRMP) photochemistry can be conveniently studied under these conditions. Results of several recent studies are discussed.
The Effects of Extremely Violent Comic Books on Social Information Processing

This study investigated the effects of reading extremely violent comic books (EVCB) versus non-violent comic books (NVCB) on the interpretation of overt and relational ambiguous provocation situations. Two hundred forty-nine introductory psychology students read either EVCB or NVCB. After reading the comic books, participants read hypothetical stories in which overt or relational aggression occurred but the intent of the provocateur was ambiguous. After each story, participants were asked a series of questions about the provocateur's intent, potential retaliation toward the provocateur, and the provocateur's emotional state. Trait hostility was significantly related to hostile responding. Regardless of the type of aggression, participants reading EVCB responded more negatively than participants reading NVCB did. Males responded more negatively to the overt scenarios, whereas females responded more negatively to the relational scenarios. Results indicate that interpretation of ambiguous material appears to...
Structural requirements for antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of apolipoprotein A-I mimetic peptides

Recently, attention has been focused on pharmacological treatments that increase HDL cholesterol to prevent coronary artery disease. Despite three decades of extensive research of human apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), the major protein component of HDL, the molecular basis for its antiatherogenic and anti-inflammatory functions remain elusive. Another protein component of HDL, apoA-II, has structural features similar to those of apoA-I but does not possess atheroprotective properties. To understand the molecular basis for the effectiveness of apoA-I, we used model synthetic peptides. We designed analogs of the class A amphipathic helical motif in apoA-I that is responsible for solubilizing phospholipids. None of these analogs has sequence homology to apoA-I, but all are similar in their lipid-associating structural motifs. Although all of these peptide analogs interact with phospholipids to form peptide:lipid complexes, the biological properties of these analogs are different. Physical-chemical and NMR studies of these peptides have enabled the delineation of structural requirements for atheroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties in these peptides. It has been shown that peptides that interact strongly with lipid acyl chains do not have antiatherogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. In contrast, peptides that associate close to the lipid head group (and hence do not interact strongly with the lipid acyl chain) are antiatherogenic and anti-inflammatory. Understanding the structure and function of apoA-I and HDL through studies of the amphipathic helix motif may lead to peptide-based therapies for inhibiting atherosclerosis and other related inflammatory lipid disorders.
Am I a Black Woman or a Woman Who Is Black? A Few Thoughts on the Meaning of Intersectionality

On a hot 90-degree day during the summer of 2006, my six-year-old daughter looked at me and asked, “Why can boys run around without a shirt and I can't?” After I explained, or at least attempted to, society's rules and regulations, she quietly looked at me and said, “Oh! It's because I have a vagina. Well, that's not fair.” About a year earlier, as she was watching a popular children's show she asked me, “Why are there no little girls that look like me on the ‘WXY’ show?” I am still unsure as to how to answer her on her question on the omission of race. What my daughter is questioning is how does her gender and race, and their intersection, influence how she is treated in society. It is difficult to tell an impressionable child that because of factors beyond her control, her gender and her race, she will be treated differently than little boys—black or white and little girls—particularly white. My daughter is like so many other women of color and other marginalized groups who confront this issue of their omission from so many practices, structures, and institutions of society. Many theorists not only have sought ways of discussing the issues raised by my daughter but also have articulated strategies useful in addressing these “unfair” practices. Much of this theorizing has been given the name “intersectionality.”
Plasmodium knowlesi: An Important Yet Overlooked Human Malaria Parasite–Reply–I

We thank Yegneswaran et al for highlighting the fact that the primate malaria Plasmodium knowlesi has gained prominence during the past few years as an emerging species that causes clinical human infections in Southeast Asia.1,2 Other primate malaria species, such as P simium, P brasilianum, P cynomolgi, and P inui, have infrequently caused human infections as well. Thus far, P knowlesi infections have been reported only from China, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia (peninsular and Borneo), and the Palawan Island in the Philippines. There has been 1 imported case from Southeast Asia3 in the United States; however, there are no known cases of P knowlesi from Africa where the patient resided. Diagnosis of P knowlesi is based on geographic area of acquisition of malaria, clinical presentation, and microscopic findings. Clinically, patients with P knowlesi present with symptoms similar to those in patients with P falciparum, but microscopic findings are easily confused with those associated with P malariae. This disconnect in clinical picture and microscopy with acquisition of malaria from Southeast Asia is the clinical diagnostic clue for P knowlesi infection. Polymerase chain reaction is the only accurate technique for making a definitive diagnosis of P knowlesi infection. Treatment is similar to that for P falciparum; both of these infections are associated with high parasitemia and possibility of mortality.
Age differences in children's understanding of the complexity of the Internet

Abstract This study examined differences in understanding the technical and social complexity of the Internet across four age groups, 5–8-year-olds, 9–10-year-olds, 11–12-year-olds, and adults. The major findings indicated overall age differences in understanding across the four groups, particularly between 9–10- and 11–12-year-olds, and fewer differences based on Internet experience. These findings are discussed with respect to their implications for protecting children online and advancing their development in the Internet age.
Development of scleroderma-like syndrome in Tsk/+ mice is not enhanced by silicone administration

The possible role of silicone in the pathogenesis of a scleroderma-like syndrome is still unresolved. It has been proposed that silicone escaping from breast implants potentiates the progression of the disease. To clarify whether silicone enhances development of fibrotic skin lesions and autoantibodies, we tested its effect on tight skin (TSK/+) mice. TSK/+ mice spontaneously develop skin fibrosis and characteristic autoantibodies which resemble human scleroderma. The results of the present study indicate that silicone administration does not enhance development of skin fibrosis nor synthesis of autoantibodies to RNA polymerase and topoisomerase in TSK/+ mice.
Serious Work for a New Europe: The Congress of Vienna after Two Hundred Years

Given the current challenges to European unity, in particular Russian aggression in Ukraine and dissent in the European Union over economic policy toward Greece, Europeans should remember that, two hundred years ago, they celebrated together a long-awaited peace, as their statesmen collaborated on a lasting settlement to solve territorial questions and ensure international stability. Revisiting the Congress of Vienna, however, is not an exercise in nostalgia. New works on the Congress underscore the critical international stakes in 1814 and 1815, following two decades of war and revolution, and reveal the complexity of the negotiations, political goals, and the unsettled nature of postwar Europe. The Congress was so successful in solving the existential problems of Europe that Europeans would not fight a comparable war against each other for another century—until the Great War in 1914. The challenges that Europe faced in the twentieth century suggest, in fact, that the type of collaborative diplomacy developed at the Vienna Congress remains essential to limit conflict.
Making ganglion cells visible in the living retina

The soma, axons and dendrites of primate ganglion cells are sufficiently large to be resolved in vivo with adaptive optics. We are studying autofluorescence, exogenously added fluorescence and phase as signals for ganglion cell imaging.
Steroid Therapy for Ureteral Obstruction After Aortoiliac Graft Surgery

AbstractWe report 3 cases of ureteral obstruction following aortoiliac prosthetic graft surgery owing to secondary retroperitoneal fibrosis around anteriorly positioned ureters. The reversal of symptoms and radiographic demonstration of relief of obstruction after oral steroid therapy are discussed. The necessity of placing such grafts behind the ureters is reiterated and the routine performance of preoperative and postoperative excretory urography is suggested. A trial of steroid therapy following early detection of such obstruction in lieu of early surgical exploration is discussed.
Optical transduction and routing of microwave phonons in cavity-optomechanical circuits

Going beyond the canonical cavity-optomechanical system consisting of a Fabry–Perot cavity with a movable end mirror, here we explore a new paradigm in which phononic crystal waveguides are used to wire together local cavity elements to form interacting microcircuits of photons and phonons. Single cavity-waveguide elements, fabricated in the device layer of a silicon-on-insulator microchip, are used to optically excite and detect C-band (∼6 GHz) microwave phonons propagating in phononic-bandgap-guided acoustic waveguides. Interconnecting a pair of optomechanical cavities via a phonon waveguide is then used to demonstrate a tunable delay and filter for microwave-over-optical signals in the 1,500 nm wavelength band. Finally, we realize a tight-binding form of mechanical coupling between distant optomechanical cavities, leading to direct phonon exchange without dissipation in the waveguide. These initial demonstrations indicate the potential of cavity-optomechanical circuits for performing coherent signal processing as well as for realizing new modalities of optical readout in distributed micromechanical sensors.
Sequential Combination Therapy Versus Monotherapy: A Lack of Benefit in Time to Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Related Surgery

The benefits of combination therapy with infliximab and azathioprine have been demonstrated in clinical trials of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Concerns remain regarding the ideal duration and benefits of adding therapies in a sequential manner. We aim to compare long-term outcomes among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treated with sequentially added combination therapy or monotherapy strategies . We performed a retrospective cohort study involving adult patients with UC and CD. One cohort included patients treated with infliximab, adalimumab, or a thiopurine as monotherapy. A second cohort included patients treated with sequentially added combination therapy including infliximab or adalimumab and a thiopurine. The primary outcome was the rate of IBD-related surgery. Among 462 patients, 181 (39 %) were treated with combination therapy. 12 % of patients treated with combination therapy underwent an IBD-related surgery compared to 18 % of patients treated with monotherapy (p = 0.091), with no overall difference in time to IBD-related surgery demonstrated (log-rank test, p = 0.063). When evaluating the subtypes of IBD, there was a significant benefit in time to IBD-related surgery among patients with CD treated with sequentially added combination therapy (HR 0.46, 95 % CI 0.25–0.85) but not UC (HR 0.82, 95 % CI 0.30–2.22). The benefits of sequentially added combination therapy seem blunted when evaluating long-term clinical outcomes. This may be due to a decreased effectiveness of sequential combination therapy, a loss of benefit over time, or a differential effect between subtypes of IBD.
Adaptive estimation of small event rates

Motivated by a need in online advertising, where control systems often involve estimators of very small event rates, we propose an adaptive algorithm that regulates the stiffness of an otherwise time-invariant Bayesian event rate estimator to maintain a desired relative steady-state standard deviation of the event rate estimate. The result is an estimator that is fast (agile) when permitted by the observed input data, and that is slow (stiff) only when necessary to maintain the desired relative steady-state standard deviation of the estimate.
Impact of oncology drug shortages.

CRA6510 Background: Drug shortages of common chemotherapeutics have been reported. What is the prevalence and consequence of these shortages? Methods: Between 9/2012 and 1/2013, a self-administered questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 455 board-certified U.S. oncologists selected from the American Society of Clinical Oncology directory to assess the prevalence of shortages and impact on therapeutic decision-making. 245 responses were received (response rate 55%), of whom 210 were practicing medical oncologists/hematologists. Results: Due to drug shortages in the prior 6 months, 92% (163) of oncologists reported that their patients’ treatment was affected and 83% (174) were unable to prescribe standard chemotherapy. The five chemotherapy agents most commonly reported in shortage were: leucovorin (68%), liposomal doxorubicin (63%), 5-FU (19%), bleomycin (18%), and cytarabine (17%). Physicians adapted in many ways. 38% of the time, oncologists substituted more expensive branded drugs for those in sho...
Effect of eye position during human visual-vestibular integration of heading perception.

In multiple cortical areas visual heading is represented in retinotopic coordinates while inertial heading is in body coordinates. It remains unclear whether multisensory integration occurs in a co...
Estimation of Flow and Salinity Conditions for River Systems

Abstract A mass balance procedure is frequently used in an attempt to identify the source and distribution of flows in a river system. The end product of the procedure is estimates of reasonable values for inflows and outflows upstream of a point at which the flow is known, such that the magnitude of the known flow is completely accounted for by these upstream boundary conditions. Mass balance procedures are also applied to conserva-tive water quality variables, such as salinity. A computer model to perform mass balance calculations on river systems using an interactive procedure for estimating the boundary conditions is presented. The computer model utilizes 1) available historical information on typical ranges of the boundary conditions, and 2) user judgment to ensure that realistic estimates are obtained. The model is capable of linked flow and salt load balances. A computerized mass balance procedure makes possible the testing of many different combinations of boundary conditions which would be impractical using hand calculations. It also makes further data needs readily apparent. Both the structure and an application of the model are described.
Focus! Keys to Developing Concentration Skills in Open-skill Sports

Sideline shouting to “focus” and “anticipate” can be stressful and counterproductive for athletes, especially when they are novices playing in dynamic sport environments. An alternative aproach is to coach athletes to understand that focusing is a concentration skill that improves with practice. Selective attention, attentional focus style, and attentional shifting are three keys to concentration that have important implications for motor performance and decision making during open-skill sports. In this article, these characteristics are described and associated with practical activities to improve athletes' concentration skills.
Comparison of outcomes for AJCC 8th Anatomic and Prognostic staging in contemporary triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) multisite registry.

555Background: Eighth edition of the AJCC TNM staging system incorporates biological prognostic factors along with the traditional anatomical factors and currently Prognostic (P) stage must be used...
Inelastic light scattering from plasmons tunneling between Wannier-Stark states

Using inelastic light scattering, we measure the zone-center electronic excitation modes in a set of multiple quantum wells. The width of the wavefunction barriers was chosen such that it prevents significant coupling of the electron ground states between wells yet is transparent to electron tunneling under an electric field. Under these conditions, we find charge-density-like and spin-density-like plasmons whose energies do not correspond to the excitations calculated for either a single well or a set of Coulomb-coupled wells. The observed energies are proportional to the electric field strength and the lower energy modes agree with predictions for plasmons tunneling between the Wannier-Stark ladder states.Using inelastic light scattering, we measure the zone-center electronic excitation modes in a set of multiple quantum wells. The width of the wavefunction barriers was chosen such that it prevents significant coupling of the electron ground states between wells yet is transparent to electron tunneling under an electric field. Under these conditions, we find charge-density-like and spin-density-like plasmons whose energies do not correspond to the excitations calculated for either a single well or a set of Coulomb-coupled wells. The observed energies are proportional to the electric field strength and the lower energy modes agree with predictions for plasmons tunneling between the Wannier-Stark ladder states.
Variable-Coefficient Linear Ordinary Differential Equations

This chapter presents the the use of power series to determine solutions to differential equations. Although the method applies to a variable-coefficient linear equation of any order, the primary use of such solutions is for second-order variablecoefficient linear ordinary differential equations. The basic approach is to assume a solution of the form
Silicon Light Emitters: Preparation, Properties, Limitations, and Integration with Microelectronic Circuitry

Starting with Canham’s discovery in 1990 that porous silicon (PSi) can emit bright light in the visible range of the spectrum, there has been a strong interest in silicon light emitters. PSi and other light-emitting forms of silicon contain nanostructures or crystallites in the nanometer size range. Throughout most of the 1990’s, the intense visible luminescence from nanoscale silicon crystallites has been a source of numerous investigations and considerable debate. Today, most of the controversies have been put to rest. However, much less has been written about nanoscale Si light-emitting devices, in part because some of their characteristics are less than ideal and not well understood. This paper reviews the status of nanoscale silicon light emitters. It starts with a survey of the manufacturing methods used to produce nanoscale Si. Next, key physical, optical, electrical, and structural properties of nanoscale Si are examined. The fabrication of electroluminescent devices (LEDs) is then discussed. We focus on the stability, efficiency, speed, and spectral characteristics of nanoscale Si light emitters. Recent results obtained on microcavity PSi LEDs and 1.5μm LEDs produced by doping PSi with erbium are discussed. Finally, the integration of PSi LEDs with microelectronic circuitry is reported and the prospects for practical devices are briefly examined.
Application of Cell-Specific Isolation to the Study of Dopamine Signaling in Drosophila

Dopamine neurotransmission accounts for a number of important brain functions across species including memory formation, the anticipation of reward, cognitive facilities, and drug addiction. Despite this functional significance, relatively little is known of the cellular pathways associated with drug-induced molecular adaptations within individual neurons. Due to its genetic tractability, simplicity, and economy of scale, Drosophila melanogaster has become an important tool in the study of neurological disease states, including drug addiction. To facilitate high-resolution functional analyses of dopamine signaling, it is highly advantageous to obtain genetic material, such as RNA or protein, from a homogeneous cell source. This process can be particularly challenging in most organisms including small model system organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster. Magnetic bead-based cell sorting has emerged as a powerful tool that can be used to isolate select populations of cells, from a whole organism or tissue such as the brain, for genomic as well as proteomic expression profiling. Coupled with the temporal and spatial specificity of the GAL4/UAS system, we demonstrate the application of magnetic bead-based cell sorting towards the isolation of dopaminergic neurons from the Drosophila adult nervous system. RNA derived from these neurons is of high quality and suitable for downstream applications such as microarray expression profiling or quantitative rtPCR. The versatility of this methodology stems from the fact that the cell-specific isolation method employed can be used under a variety of experimental conditions designed to survey molecular adaptations in dopamine signaling neurons including in response to drugs of abuse.
Division of labor: a more effective approach to prefetching

Prefetching is a central component in most microarchitectures. Many different algorithms have been proposed with varying degrees of complexity and effectiveness. There are inherent tradeoffs among various metrics especially when we try to exploit both simpler access patterns and more complex ones simultaneously. Hypothetically, therefore, it is better to have collaboration of sub-components each specialized in exploiting a different access pattern than to have a monolithic design trying to have a similar prefetching scope. In this paper, we present some empirical evidence. We use a few components dedicated for some simple patterns such as canonical strided accesses. We show that a composite prefetcher with these components can significantly out perform state-of-the-art prefetchers. But more importantly, the composite prefetcher achieves better performance through a more limited prefetching scope while attaining a much higher accuracy. This suggests that the design can be more readily expanded with additional components targeting other patterns.
The Films of Ingmar Bergman

1. Introduction: The geography of the soul Part I. The Films of the Fifties: 2. The primal seen: The Clowns' Evening 3. The journey: The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries 4. The great dance: Smiles of a Summer Night Part II: Second Thoughts: 5. A dream play: Shame 6. The illiterates: Cries and Whispers, Scenes from a Marriage, and the Films of the 1970s Part III: A Final Look: 7. The little world: Fanny and Alexander Afterwards: Biographical note Bergman and existentialism: a brief comment A note on Woody Allen Appendix.
The Treatment of Achalasia in Obese Patients.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that obesity is frequently associated with esophageal motility disorders. Morbid obesity and achalasia may coexist in the same patient. The management of the morbidly obese patient with achalasia is complex and the most effective treatment remains controversial. The aim of this study is to review the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, and treatment of achalasia in morbidly obese patients. Evidence review PubMed search from January 1990 to July 2017, including the following terms: achalasia, morbid obesity, bariatric, and treatment. Achalasia in the setting of morbid obesity may be successfully treated by endoscopic or surgical methods. Surgeons may choose to add a bariatric procedure, with various strategies present in the literature. A review of the present literature suggests that the preferred approach to achalasia in the morbidly obese patient is to address both disease processes simultaneously with a laparoscopic Heller myotomy and a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is cited by most experts as the bariatric procedure of choice, given its antireflux benefits. A well-powered study, comparing the various approaches to the treatment of achalasia in the setting of morbid obesity, is required to establish a consensus.
Expert Reports and Testimony

Following the forensic examination, the “product” is often a formal report. Depending upon the nature of the investigation, the report may be a brief description of the techniques used and the measurement results, or it may be a more extensive document with figures, photographs, data tables, and scientific conclusions. If the report is intended for use in a court of law, the examiner may need to be qualified as an “expert” before the report can be admitted as formal testimony.
Special Types of Differential Equations

One special type of differential equation, namely the \(Bernoulli^{1.}\) equation, was discussed in Chap. 4. [Compare, for instance, ( 4.19)–( 4.77).] Here, that analysis is extended to other special type equations.
Outcomes of Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Devices with No Antiplatelet Therapy: Systematic Review

Purpose Current recommendations for antithrombotic therapy for continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) include both anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy to prevent detrimental thromboembolic (TE) complications. This also results in high incidence of bleeding complications in this population. Several studies have reported favorable outcomes of anticoagulant therapy without antiplatelet therapy to reduce bleeding complications in patients supported with CF-LVADs. Methods We performed a comprehensive literature search through September 2018 using MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus and the Cochrane Library. Included studies were prospective or retrospective cohort studies that reported outcomes of CF-LVADs with no antiplatelet therapy. Results Four studies (2 prospective cohort studies, 2 retrospective cohort studies) with 198 patients were included in this study; all patients had Heartmate II devices. Median age was 58 years and 92% were men. All patients received oral vitamin K antagonist for anticoagulation with median INRs of 1.85-2.59. Over median follow-up period of 17 months (range 1-2 years), 5.4% (range 0-7%) had device thrombosis, 4.9% (range 2-7.4%) had ischemic stroke and 21.5% (range 15-37%) had bleeding complications. Hemorrhagic stroke of 4% reported in one study. Conclusion Anticoagulant therapy without antiplatelet therapy in CF-LVAD population may help reduce the incidence of bleeding complications without increasing the risk of TE events. This should be taken into consideration when choosing anticoagulation strategy especially in patients at high risk of bleeding.
Evaluating and managing bradycardia.

Abstract Bradycardia is a commonly observed arrhythmia and a frequent occasion for cardiac consultation. Defined as a heart rate of less than 50–60 bpm, bradycardia can be observed as a normal phenomenon in young athletic individuals, and in patients as part of normal aging or disease (Table 1). Pathology that produces bradycardia may occur within the sinus node, atrioventricular (AV) nodal tissue, and the specialized His-Purkinje conduction system. Given the overlap of heart rate ranges with non-pathologic changes, assessment of symptoms is a critical component in the evaluation and management of bradycardia. Treatment should rarely be prescribed solely on the basis of a heart rate lower than an arbitrary cutoff or a pause above certain duration. In the 2018 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline on the Evaluation and Management of Patients with Bradycardia and Cardiac Conduction Delay (referred to hereafter as the 2018 Bradycardia Guideline), there was a significant shift in emphasis from prior guidelines that emphasized device-based implantation recommendations to a focus on evaluation and management of disease states [1] , [2] . In this review, we will highlight the changes in the new guideline as well as describe the key elements in evaluation and management of patients presenting with bradycardia.
Could mTOR be a therapeutic target for bladder cancer

1510 Bladder cancer is the fifth most frequently diagnosed tumor in the United States; however the molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of bladder cancer from the clinically manageable superficial disease to muscle-invasive disease are poorly understood. The PI-3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway regulates key processes that are relevant for tumor growth and progression, including cell cycle progression, survival, motility, invasion and angiogenesis. Recent studies have found that the PI3K antagonist PTEN along with the PI3K p110α subunit are targets for mutation in bladder cancer, indicating that aberrant activation of PI-3 kinase may play a role in bladder tumorigenesis. Our work has demonstrated that approximately 50% of primary human bladder tumors exhibited markedly elevated levels of Akt phosphorylation and that pharmacological or biochemical inhibition of the PI-3 kinase pathway drastically reduces the invasive capacity of bladder cancer cell lines. However due to potential toxicity issues associated with PI3K inhibition, targeting this pathway further downstream may circumvent this problem. mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) is a downstream mediator of PI-3 kinase/AKT and is efficiently inhibited by Rapamycin. We show here that approximately 50% of primary human bladder tumors display aberrant activation of mTOR, suggesting that rapamycin treatment might be of clinical benefit. We compared the effects of Rapamycin, the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 and Cisplatin treatment alone or in combination on several bladder cell lines and found that inhibition of mTOR sensitizes the cells to Cisplatin as efficiently as inhibition of PI-3 kinase. Importantly and unexpectedly inhibition of mTOR also inhibits bladder tumor invasion and proliferation as efficiently as inhibition of PI-3 kinase. This data suggests that inhibition of mTOR in bladder cancer may present a novel therapeutic opportunity, avoiding the toxicity while preserving the impact associated with inhibition of PI-3 kinase.
The Chrysler and General Motors bankruptcies

The bankruptcy proceedings of Chrysler and General Motors were filed at the height of the financial crisis that rocked the global economy in the late-2000s. Although both companies originally received federal financial bailouts to try to avert bankruptcy, within months they were forced to file bankruptcy in an unprecedented bankruptcy-bailout process. The bankruptcy proceedings that subsequently transpired were controversial at the time and remain controversial to this day. This chapter in the Research Handbook in Corporate Bankruptcy Law (Forthcoming 2019) reviews the controversial cases and their uncertain legacy for the future of chapter 11 practice and corporate bankruptcy law.