cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Silicon-Based Parametric Frequency Combs for the Mid-IR

We demonstrate that broadband mid-infrared frequency combs can be generated in silicon-based microresonators and describe the underlying dynamics and capabilities of this platform. Article not available.
Clinical Application of Progesterone for the Prevention of Preterm Birth, 2016

While the preterm neonate continues to benefit from improved perinatal care, the rate of preterm birth in the United States remains significant. An increasing body of scientific literature has demonstrated the benefits of maternal progesterone administration in reducing primary and recurrent preterm birth. Intramuscular hydroxyprogesterone caproate is indicated in singleton pregnancies in women with a prior spontaneous preterm birth, while vaginal progesterone demonstrates similar efficacy in prolonging pregnancy in women with asymptomatic cervical shortening in the midtrimester. Given these favorable benefits, the use of progesterone has been expanded to other clinical situations at risk for preterm birth with less rigorous scientific evidence. This review highlights the current evidence-based clinical applications of progesterone for prevention of preterm birth.
Long-term outcomes and predictors of iliac angioplasty with selective stenting: is primary stenting necessary ?

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) has become one of the initial treatment options in patients with iliac artery occlusive disease. Stents have been recommended to correct procedural complications and improve long-term patency. Many series advocate routine stent placement after an otherwise uncomplicated PTA (primary stenting) in an attempt to prevent recurrent disease. Currently, many physicians in the United States seem to use stents in the iliac artery more liberally, even on a routine basis. There is little evidence to support this practice, however. It is still unclear whether a stent should be inserted primarily or selectively. This article provides the data from an 11-year experience of angioplasty with selective stenting for iliac artery occlusive lesions and reviews the current literatures on the iliac artery stent placement.
Weight change pattern and survival outcome of women with endometrial cancer

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the association between weight change patterns and survival outcomes of women with endometrial cancer.
Abstract 109: Multiple different mutations of same cancer genes in the same tumors from lung adenocarcinoma patients

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated multiple different mutations of the same cancer genes in different subclones (multiple-hit) of the same tumors suggesting cancer gene convergence. By analyzing publically available large dataset, we sought to investigate whether multiple-hit phenomenon reflects a propensity for specific routes of tumorigenesis in certain patients with lung adenocarcinomas. Methods: Whole exome sequencing data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) lung adenocarcinoma study was queried and nonsilent somatic mutations (stop-gain, stop-loss, frameshift, splicing site and nonsynonymous) were analyzed. Bootstrapping was performed to investigate whether multiple-hit (≥ 2 mutations of the same gene in the same tumor) phenomenon is enriched in cancer genes (from Cancer Gene Census (CGC), Catalogue Of Somatic Mutations In Cancer (COSMIC) database excluding “Translocation only” genes) compared to all other genes (background). Using stage-stratified Cox proportional hazards regression, we examined the association between multiple-hit mutation status in well-known cancer genes and overall survival (OS) in patients who had complete staging and follow up information in the most recent TCGA survival dataset (updated on 4/10/2015). Subclonal analysis is in process to assess the clonal relationship among different mutations of the same genes in the same tumors. Results: Somatic mutation data from 538 lung adenocarcinomas was analyzed. In total, 17,059 genes showed at least one nonsilent mutation in at least one tumor and 9,151 genes (54%) demonstrated multiple different nonsilent mutations in at least one tumor (multiple-hit). Of the 419 CGC cancer genes, 323 (77%) demonstrated multiple-hit phenomenon (p Conclusions: Cancer gene convergence in lung adenocarcinomas suggests certain genes and/or pathways may be critical for carcinogenesis in certain patients. Multiple different mutations of certain cancer genes may have impact on clinical outcomes. Further studies are warranted to further investigate the clinical implications of multi-hit phenomenon and their potential role in identifying novel cancer genes. Citation Format: Yan Xing, Jianjun Zhang, Jun Li, Jianhua Zhang, Alexandria T. Phan, Jenny C. Chang, Andrew Futreal. Multiple different mutations of same cancer genes in the same tumors from lung adenocarcinoma patients. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 109.
Bifurcation, Pattern Formation, and Transition to Chaos in Combustion

We study problems in the dynamics and pattern formation of both solid and gaseous fuel combustion. Our goal is to understand the basic mechanisms affecting the combustion process, which is a necessary prerequisite to controlling it. A related goal is to describe the spatio-temporal patterns that are observed experimentally as well as to predict new dynamical behavior, as yet unobserved. Thus we wish to determine the mechanisms of successive transitions to increasingly complex patterns of dynamical behavior, as parameters of the problem are varied. The problems are formulated as initial boundary-value problems for systems of highly nonlinear partial differential equations modeling the relevant combustion process.
Co-Evolution of Volcanic and Lacustrine Systems In Pleistocene Long Valley Caldera, California, U.S.A.

Abstract Sedimentary records from intracaldera lakes document unique interactions between volcanic and sedimentary processes and hold valuable information about the geologic evolution of the associated volcanic systems. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the lacustrine sedimentary package within Long Valley Caldera, California, which provides new constraints on the history of the Long Valley system as well as new insights into the development of intracaldera sedimentary systems in general. After the eruption of the Bishop Tuff (760 ka), the resulting caldera was partially filled by a large lake, within which volcaniclastic, chemical, and biogenic sediments were deposited. Contrary to previous interpretations, Long Valley Lake was initially evaporative and did not become relatively fresh and deep until later in its history. This observation, coupled with paleoshorelines documented on the resurgent dome, suggests an extended timeframe for resurgent dome uplift. Near-shore volcaniclastic sedimentation in Long Valley Lake was predominantly episodic and was concentrated in an extensive Gilbert-type delta system that built outwards into the lake from intracaldera rhyolite highlands. Deposition in distal environments was dominated by pelagic sedimentation that included accumulation of diatomite and marl with ostracod shell beds. The sedimentary package is herein assigned to two coeval formations that exhibit fundamentally different characteristics and modes of deposition. The Sagehen Formation comprises the proximal volcaniclastic succession, which was influenced by ongoing deformation and volcanism during the evolution of the Long Valley system. The Benton Crossing Formation comprises the distal pelagic sedimentary package, which appears to offer a unique paleoclimatic record within a well-constrained chronostratigraphic framework. Together these formations support models of intracaldera sedimentation in which event-driven deposition and diatomite accumulation are dominant sedimentary processes, although they also illustrate the importance of delta development and catchment-area evolution in focusing sedimentation and controlling the architecture of the deposits. The Long Valley intracaldera sedimentary package highlights the utility of lacustrine sediments in understanding caldera evolution.
TinySPICE plus: scaling up statistical SPICE simulations on GPU leveraging shared-memory based sparse matrix solution techniques

TinySPICE was a SPICE simulator on GPU developed to achieve dramatic speedups in statistical simulations of small nonlinear circuits, such as standard cell designs and SRAMs. While TinySPICE can perform circuit simulations much faster than traditional SPICE tools for small circuits, it may not be efficient for handling relatively large logic/memory circuit designs due to the embedded dense MNA matrix solver that can result in fast growing memory cost with increasing matrix size. In this work, we present TinySPICE Plus, a full-blown statistical SPICE simulation engine on GPU platform that integrates a highly-optimized shared-memory based sparse matrix solver that is capable of dealing with much larger circuits than TinySPICE while achieving orders of magnitude speedup over traditional CPU-based SPICE simulation engine. Extensive experimental results show that TinySPICE Plus can achieves over 70X speedups for parametric yield analysis of SRAM arrays and variation-aware logic circuit characterizations.
Nutritional Considerations for Young Athletes

Adolescence is a time marked by significant biological, physical, psychological, and behavioral growth; therefore, understanding the types of dietary intakes and habits that minimize unhealthful weight gain, maximize performance, and promote the development of positive lifelong health behaviors is of critical importance. Recent estimates suggest 60 million children ages 6–18 years participate in some form of organized sport in the USA, and 44 million participate in more than one sport [1]. However, research shows that even in active sports, such as soccer, the average participant accumulates only 17 min of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per 50 min of game time [2]. Research also suggests the foods and beverages marketed in sports venues, sold at concession stands, and used for sports fundraising are commonly unhealthy, with few healthful options available [3]. The marketing and sales of unhealthy foods and beverages in the youth sport environment has the potential to undermine the possible, and typically minimal, physical activity benefits of participating in youth sports. This chapter will provide the latest research related to active adolescents’ (1) dietary needs; (2) beverage consumption patterns; (3) use of supplements and ergogenic aids; and (4) behavioral techniques to promote healthful dietary patterns. Lastly, this section will provide practical information for how health practitioners, coaches, and parents can support a healthful environment for young athletes.
High-detectivity printed organic photodiodes for large area flexible imagers

The recent increase in utilization of image sensors and significant development in the field of wearable and disposable sensors not only demands a decrease in photodiode fabrication costs, but also requires new functional abilities such as operating at extremely low light intensities, narrowband and broadband spectral selectivity, lightweight and mechanical flexibility. Today, most of these demands cannot be fulfilled by conventional workhorse silicon photodetectors without a significant amount of processing steps to achieve heterogeneous integration. The chemical tunability, mechanical properties and printable processing of organic materials make them promising candidates for fabrication of low-cost, highly scalable and flexible organic photodiodes (OPDs). In addition, the large area scalability of printing techniques is beneficial for photodiodes since the signal-tonoise ratio (SNR), at a given light intensity, increases with detector size. Since the SNR depends on multiple parameters, such as the external quantum efficiency (EQE), the dark current density, sampling bandwidth and photoactive area, it significantly complicates the comparison of photodetectors. For this reason a useful figure of merit to consider is specific detectivity. This paper shows that state of the art all-printed, flexible OPDs with average specific detectivities as high as 3.45×1013 cm-Hz 0.5·W−1 can be printed using industrially scalable techniques (i.e., blade coating and screen printing) by controlling charge selectivity of organic electrodes. In addition to the high specific detectivity needed to resolve low light intensity, these OPDs are able to sustain high reverse biases. High reverse biases are used to maximize the capacity of the photodiode to capacitatively store photogenerated charge, which is essential for increasing the dynamic range of image sensors. Through optimization and characterization of the properties of each printed layer, device yield is maximized with minimal variability over large areas. The performance of all-printed photodiodes achieved here becomes comparable to silicon photodiodes used in image sensors, which have a specific detectivity of approximately 6–7 × 1013 cm-Hz 0.5·W−1. These results show that along with advantages such as inexpensive fabrication and mechanical flexibility, all-printed OPDs can have performance competitive with their Si-counterparts.
U.S. International Oceans Law and Policy Interests in the South China Sea Arbitration: Implications for the U.S. Administration in the South China Sea and Elsewhere

Even though the United States has not ratified UNCLOS, U.S. oceans policies and practices are inextricably linked to UNCLOS. For this reason, the United States needs to approach its future relations with China through the lens of UNCLOS and the recent Arbitration decision involving its claims in the South China Sea. The decision cannot be dismissed as something which is an insignificant technical legal disagreement. The Arbitration concretely addresses core resource, environmental and the entitlements to oceans territory in the South China Sea and the precedent impacts other disputes that could, if not resolved, become security flashpoints which will impact U.S. economic or military interests. The decision also confronts recent legal revisionism by China; a party to UNCLOS since 1996. China’s continuing rejection of the decision will, in the long run, cause the decline of international law and cast doubt on whether the U.S., and other developed countries, can expect to have a rules- based order to govern their security and economic affairs if the decision is not respected by world’s second most powerful country. For this reason, it is in the United States interest to make China’s compliance with the Arbitration decision a central tenant of U.S. China Policy and, in doing so, persuade China that it has much to gain from a rules-based order at sea.
Parental Involvement and Achievement Outcomes in African American Adolescents

This study examined parental ratings of a multidimensional construct of parental involvement to determine (a) which involvement behavior (home-based, school-based, or achievement values) better pre...
Impact of surgery vs. other treatments in carcinosarcoma of the lung: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Analysis.

1574Background: Carcinosarcoma of the lung (CL) is a rare malignant neoplasm, composed of both epithelial and mesenchymal components. It accounts for < 1% of lung cancers. Diagnosis prior to resect...
Long-term aspirin does not lower risk of stroke and increases bleeding risk in low-risk atrial fibrillation ablation patients.

Background Stroke risk is a significant concern in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Low stroke risk patients (CHADS2VASc 0–2) are often treated long-term with aspirin after catheter ablation. Defining the long-term risks versus benefits of aspirin therapy, after an ablation, is essential to validate this common clinical approach. Methods A total of 4,124 AF ablation patients undergoing their index ablation were included in this retrospective observational study. We compared 1- and 3-year outcomes for cerebrovascular accident (CVA), transient ischemic attack (TIA), gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, genitourinary (GU) bleeding, any bleeding, and AF recurrence among patients receiving: none, aspirin, or warfarin as long-term therapies. Results Patient distribution by CHADS2VASc scores was as follows: 0: 1,143 (28%), 1: 1,588 (39%), and 2: 1,393 (34%). Significantly higher incidents of: female gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, and vascular disease were seen with higher CHADS2VASc scores (P < 0.0001 for all). At 3 years, 238 (5.9%) patients were on warfarin, 743 (18.6) on aspirin, and 3,013 (75.5%) on no therapy; with occurrences of CVA/TIA (1.4%, 3.0%, 3.9%, P < 0.0001, respectively), GI bleeding (0.8%, 1.9%, 1.1%, P = 0.06, respectively), and GU bleeding (1.7%, 2.8%, 2.1%, P = 0.008, respectively) that increased with advancing CHA2DS2VASc score. There was a significantly increased risk for both CVA/TIA with aspirin therapy, when compared to no therapy or warfarin therapy in general, and across all CHA2DS2VASc scores. Conclusions After catheter ablation, low risk patients do not benefit from long-term aspirin therapy, but are at risk for higher rates of bleeding when compared to no therapy or warfarin.
Malignant central airway obstruction

This review comprehensively describes recent advances in the management of malignant central airway obstruction (CAO). Malignant CAO can be a dramatic and devastating manifestation of primary lung cancer or metastatic disease. A variety of diagnostic modalities are available to provide valuable information to plan a therapeutic intervention. Clinical heterogeneity in the presentation of malignant CAO provides opportunities to adapt and utilize endoscopic technology and tools in many ways. Mechanical debulking, thermal tools, cryotherapy and airway stents are methods and instruments used to rapidly restore airway patency. Delayed bronchoscopic methods, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) and brachytherapy can also be utilized in specific non-emergent situations to establish airway patency. Although data regarding the success and complications of therapeutic interventions are retrospective and characterized by clinical and outcome measure variability, the symptoms of malignant CAO can often be successfully palliated. Assessment of risks and benefits of interventions in each individual patient during the decision-making process forms the critical foundation of the management of malignant CAO.
Can Invasive Snails Reduce Parasitism in Native Snails? An Evaluation of the Dilution Effect Hypothesis

The dilution effect hypothesis states that any non-target host species can act as a decoy or resistant host to disease or parasite transmission stages, thereby reducing the negative effects of the diseases or parasites on the coevolved host (Prenter et al. 2004, Johnson and Thieltges 2010). Invasive species are often resistant to parasites in the new ecosystem because native parasites have not evolved to be able to successfully infect them (Prenter et al. 2004). In laboratory experiments, Kopp and Jokela (2007) found the presence of the invasive snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, acted as a resistant host for trematode infection resulting in reduced infection rates in the native snail. Similarly, the presence of the invasive American slipper limpet, Crepidula foricata, and invasive Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas, reduced trematode infection load on native mussels, Mytilus edulis, in both single species and mixed species (both invasive species present) treatments (Thieltges et al. 2009). However, both of these experiments were conducted in mesocosms with simplified biotic interactions (Kopp and Jokela 2007, Thieltges et al. 2009).
Heavy Metal Exposure and Metabolic Syndrome: Evidence from Human and Model System Studies.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) describes the co-occurrence of conditions that increase one’s risk for heart disease and other disorders such as diabetes and stroke. The worldwide increase in the prevalence of MS cannot be fully explained by lifestyle factors such as sedentary behavior and caloric intake alone. Environmental exposures, such as heavy metals, have been implicated, but results are conflicting and possible mechanisms remain unclear. To assess recent progress in determining a possible role between heavy metal exposure and MS, we reviewed epidemiological and model system data for cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) from the last decade. Data from 36 epidemiological studies involving 17 unique countries/regions and 13 studies leveraging model systems are included in this review. Epidemiological and model system studies support a possible association between heavy metal exposure and MS or comorbid conditions; however, results remain conflicting. Epidemiological studies were predominantly cross-sectional and collectively, they highlight a global interest in this question and reveal evidence of differential susceptibility by sex and age to heavy metal exposures. In vivo studies in rats and mice and in vitro cell-based assays provide insights into potential mechanisms of action relevant to MS including altered regulation of lipid and glucose homeostasis, adipogenesis, and oxidative stress. Heavy metal exposure may contribute to MS or comorbid conditions; however, available data are conflicting. Causal inference remains challenging as epidemiological data are largely cross-sectional; and variation in study design, including samples used for heavy metal measurements, age of subjects at which MS outcomes are measured; the scope and treatment of confounding factors; and the population demographics vary widely. Prospective studies, standardization or increased consistency across study designs and reporting, and consideration of molecular mechanisms informed by model system studies are needed to better assess potential causal links between heavy metal exposure and MS.
Perception of Extrapersonal Space: Psychological and Neural Aspects

The perception of extrapersonal space includes the processes by which we perceive the locations of objects and remember their positions relative to specific reference frames. These reference frames include egocentric representations, related to specific effectors, and allocentric reference frames that are independent of the observer. The neural mechanisms that underlie spatial perception involve not only sensory cortices but also many areas of parietal and frontal cortex. In this article, certain psychological aspects of spatial perception are reviewed, followed by a consideration of the cortical neural mechanisms involved in the perception of spatial information and the construction of specific reference frames.
Name That Nephrogram: Asymmetric Renal Enhancement in the Acute Care Setting

Disorders of the kidney and urinary collecting system are common encountered in the acute care setting. Computed tomography has progressively replaced intravenous pyelography for the evaluation of most urinary tract pathology including acute flank pain, suspected malignancy, congenital abnormalities, anatomical variants, and inflammatory/vascular conditions through evaluation of the "nephrogram" produced by intravenous contrast material filtering through the kidneys. In this review, we describe the most common types of abnormal nephrograms seen on renal computed tomography, and highlight the salient features and conditions associated with them, in addition to a pictorial review with specific and interesting related cases. The types of abnormal nephrograms reviewed are absent, unilateral delayed, striated, spotted, and persistent.
Microbiota of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Models

Gut microbiome plays an important role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a group of intestinal chronic inflammation conditions that affect a large population. The animal models of IBD have long been established on basis of pathological features, but their ability to recapitulate patient gut microbiota is unknown. We investigated and compared the composition and biodiversity of bacterial population in the fecal samples from rat models of the two IBD subtypes, and compared them with patient samples. Our analyses revealed that inflammation reduces overall microbiome diversity and increased variation between individuals. We identified specific microbial signatures associated with the two IBD subtypes that were consistent between the animal models and human IBD patients, suggesting that the animal models can partially recapitulate the microbiota in human diseases. Furthermore, metagenome prediction analysis suggested microbial functions that were likely altered by host-microbiota interactions in IBD models.
Coda: Mixed Reality—The Virtual Future and Return to Embodiment

Where are we and Shakespeare are likely to be transported as a consequence of new media’s seemingly imminent supersession of conventional staging practices in favor of virtuality? The virtual reality work undertaken by CREW’s “Hands-on Hamlet” and Kit Monkman’s “green screen” Macbeth promise to move us closer to a Shakespeare unmoored from physical grounding in a shared material world. They project a future in which the human actor no longer figures in performance except as a ghost of her former self. Other developments, however, demonstrate the resilience of virtuality’s seemingly receding other, physical embodiment, as evinced in the insistent materiality of Thomas Ostermeier’s recent Hamlet production and the difference women’s humanly present bodies and minds make in the recent trilogy of all-women Shakespeare productions directed by Phyllida Lloyd.
Technology-Based Alcohol Interventions in Primary Care: Systematic Review.

Background: Primary care settings are uniquely positioned to reach individuals at risk of alcohol use disorder through technology-delivered behavioral health interventions. Despite emerging effectiveness data, few efforts have been made to summarize the collective findings from these delivery approaches. Objective: The aim of this study was to review recent literature on the use of technology to deliver, enhance, or support the implementation of alcohol-related interventions in primary care. We focused on addressing questions related to (1) categorization or target of the intervention, (2) descriptive characteristics and context of delivery, (3) reported efficacy, and (4) factors influencing efficacy. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search and systematic review of completed studies at the intersection of primary care, technology, and alcohol-related problems published from January 2000 to December 2018 within EBSCO databases, ProQuest Dissertations, and Cochrane Reviews. Of 2307 initial records, 42 were included and coded independently by 2 investigators. Results: Compared with the years of 2000 to 2009, published studies on technology-based alcohol interventions in primary care nearly tripled during the years of 2010 to 2018. Of the 42 included studies, 28 (64%) were randomized controlled trials. Furthermore, studies were rated on risk of bias and found to be predominantly low risk (n=18), followed by moderate risk (n=16), and high risk (n=8). Of the 24 studies with primary or secondary efficacy outcomes related to drinking and drinking-related harms, 17 (71%) reported reduced drinking or harm in all primary and secondary efficacy outcomes. Furthermore, of the 31 studies with direct comparisons with treatment as usual (TAU), 13 (42%) reported that at least half of the primary and secondary efficacy outcomes of the technology-based interventions were superior to TAU. High efficacy was associated with provider involvement and the reported use of an implementation strategy to deliver the technology-based intervention. Conclusions: Our systematic review has highlighted a pattern of growth in the number of studies evaluating technology-based alcohol interventions in primary care. Although these interventions appear to be largely beneficial in primary care, outcomes may be enhanced by provider involvement and implementation strategy use. This review enables better understanding of the typologies and efficacy of these interventions and informs recommendations for those developing and implementing technology-based alcohol interventions in primary care settings.
Buyer Power and Exclusionary Conduct: Should Brooke Group Set the Standards for Buyer-Induced Price Discrimination and Predatory Bidding?

In this article, I examine two categories of exclusionary conduct - price discrimination and predatory pricing - and ask whether the standards that govern a seller's use of such conduct should also apply to a powerful buyer. In the classic case, a seller uses price discrimination as an exclusionary device when it charges a monopoly price in one geographic market but cuts price in another to attack a new entrant. Brooke Group held that such behavior cannot violate the Robinson-Patman Act unless it satisfies the tests for predatory pricing under the Sherman Act - below-cost pricing and recoupment. I conclude that those tests should not apply to buyer-induced price discrimination, which occurs when a buyer obtains a price concession from a seller that is not made available to competing buyers. Not only are those tests not relevant to buyer-induced discrimination, but the purpose of the Robinson-Patman Act's ban on such discrimination is to protect small business, not promote consumer welfare. In addition, as I show, the market power requirements and consumer welfare effects of the two kinds of discrimination are significantly different. In the second part of the paper, I address whether the tests for predatory pricing should apply to "predatory bidding," in which a buyer bids up the market price of an input to injure competing buyers and acquire monopsony power. Though predatory pricing and predatory bidding are very similar, they are not identical. In particular, predatory bidding complaints, which have seldom been filed and which challenge a buyer's decision to increase prices rather than reduce them, appear less likely to chill price cutting than predatory pricing complaints. Until courts gain more experience with predatory bidding, I conclude that a plaintiff should not have to meet Brooke Group's tests but should have to show, under a full rule of reason analysis, that defendant's conduct was likely to reduce rather than increase consumer welfare.
The University of New Orleans ocean acoustics program at the Stennis Space Center, Mississippi

In the late 1970's two US Navy ocean R&D organizations were formed and located at the Stennis Space Center (SSC), Mississippi, located approximately 50 miles East of the University of New Orleans (UNO). These two organizations employed nearly 1500 scientists, engineers, and technicians. Many of those with a Bachelor degree in physics, oceanography, or engineering desired advanced training in acoustics and signal processing. In 1982, George E. Ioup took the initiative to have UNO develop and teach acoustic courses on-site at the SSC. In the following 33 years, I developed 11 different graduate level courses in acoustics and taught them multiple times at the SSC. It was possible to take all the necessary courses needed for the Masters and PhD degrees on-site, while maintaining full-time employment. Several dozen Navy scientists received advanced degrees in physics with a specialty in acoustics from UNO. Many more received specific training in acoustics that enhanced their professional careers. This presentation will highlight my contribution to the UNO program at the SSC, and discuss how I incorporated my own research in ocean acoustic propagation and scattering into the many acoustic courses that I taught.In the late 1970's two US Navy ocean R&D organizations were formed and located at the Stennis Space Center (SSC), Mississippi, located approximately 50 miles East of the University of New Orleans (UNO). These two organizations employed nearly 1500 scientists, engineers, and technicians. Many of those with a Bachelor degree in physics, oceanography, or engineering desired advanced training in acoustics and signal processing. In 1982, George E. Ioup took the initiative to have UNO develop and teach acoustic courses on-site at the SSC. In the following 33 years, I developed 11 different graduate level courses in acoustics and taught them multiple times at the SSC. It was possible to take all the necessary courses needed for the Masters and PhD degrees on-site, while maintaining full-time employment. Several dozen Navy scientists received advanced degrees in physics with a specialty in acoustics from UNO. Many more received specific training in acoustics that enhanced their professional careers. This presenta...
Prognostic Significance of Pulse Pressure and Other Blood Pressure Components for Coronary Artery Disease in Type 1 Diabetes.

BACKGROUND To compare in individuals with type 1 diabetes the prediction of incident coronary artery disease (CAD) by components of resting blood pressure-systolic, diastolic, pulse pressure, and mean arterial pressure. METHODS In 605 participants without known CAD at baseline and followed sequentially for 25 years, we used Cox modeling built for each blood pressure component associated with incident CAD, overall and stratified by age (<35 and ≥35 years) or hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (<9% and ≥9%). RESULTS Baseline mean age and diabetes duration were 27 and 19 years, respectively. We observed an early asymptote and then fall in diastolic blood pressure in their late 30s and early 40s in this group of type 1 diabetes individuals, followed by an early rise of pulse pressure. Adjusted hazard ratios (HR) (95% con) for CAD associated with 1 SD pressure increase were 1.35 (1.17, 1.56) for systolic pressure; 1.30 (1.12, 1.51) for diastolic pressure; 1.20 (1.03, 1.39) for pulse pressure; and 1.35 (1.17, 1.56) for mean arterial pressure. Pulse pressure emerged as a strong predictor of CAD at age ≥ 35 years (HR: 1.49 [1.15, 1.94]) and for HbA1c ≥ 9% (HR: 1.32 [1.01, 1.72]). CONCLUSIONS Individuals with type 1 diabetes may manifest early vascular aging by an early decline in diastolic blood pressure and rise in pulse pressure, the latter parameter becoming a comparable to systolic blood pressure in predictor incident CAD in those aged over 35 years and those with poor glycemic control.
South Sudan: The Elusive Quest for a Resilient Social Contract?

After its hard-won independence in 2011, South Sudan slid quickly into violent conflict and became a theatre of enormous human suffering. This article attempts to answer the question of what went w...
Pembrolizumab in advanced rare cancers

Abstract Background Patients with rare cancers account for 25% of cancer-related deaths but have limited treatment options. As immunotherapy has potential applicability across cancer types, we conducted an open-label phase II trial of pembrolizumab in patients with advanced rare cancers. Methods Eligible patients who had progressed on standard therapies in the last 6 months were enrolled in 9 tumor-specific cohorts and in a 10th cohort for other histologies. Pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks was administered for 2 years or until disease progression or intolerable toxicity. Tumor imaging was performed every 9 weeks; response was assessed by RECIST v1.1 and irRECIST. Adverse events (AEs) were graded per NCI-CTCAE v4.03. Results A total of 127 patients with advanced rare cancer were treated. Median age = 56 years and median number of prior therapies = 2. At data cutoff date, the non-progression rate (NPR) at 27 weeks was 28%, ORR 14% (immune-related [ir] complete response [irCR] = 1 and partial response [irPR] = 14, 11 continuing therapy at data cut-off), and clinical benefit rate (CBR; irCR + irPR + ir stable disease ≥4 months) 38%. In the squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin cohort, NPR at 27 weeks was 36%, ORR 31% (5 of 16 evaluable; irCR = 1 and irPR = 4, 4 continuing therapy), and CBR 38%. In the adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) cohort, NPR at 27 weeks was 31%, ORR 15% (2 of 13 evaluable; irPR = 2), and CBR 54%. In the carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP) cohort, NPR at 27 weeks was 33%, ORR 23% (3 of 13 evaluable; irPR = 3, all continuing therapy), and CBR 54%. In the paraganglioma-pheochromocytoma cohort, NPR at 27 weeks was 43% and CBR 75% (6 of 8 evaluable). A higher proportion of patients with baseline PD-L1 H-score >42.5 were alive and progression free at 27 weeks (47%, vs 20% for H-score ≤ 42.5; p = 0.02). During the study, 66 (52%) patients had drug-related AEs, 12 (9%) with grade ≥3 AEs. irAEs were observed in 20% of patients. The most common AEs were fatigue (n = 25) and rash (n = 17) and irAEs were hypothyroidism (n = 14), pneumonitis (n = 4) and hyperthyroidism (n = 4). There were 6 deaths during the study, 5 due to progressive disease and 1 due to acute kidney injury secondary to sepsis. Conclusions Toxicity with pembrolizumab was manageable and antitumor activity was observed in patients with SCC of skin, ACC, CUP, and paraganglioma-pheochromocytoma. Clinical trial identification NCT02721732. Legal entity responsible for the study Aung Naing, MD. Funding Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
11 Improving intervention use for opioid overdose through emergency department electronic medical record work-aids

Background Emergency Department (ED) visits for opioid overdose continue to rise. Our global aim is to implement evidence-based harm reduction practices in our large, academic ED, such as facilitating naloxone prescribing through the electronic medical record (EMR) and disseminating resources for outpatient treatment. Objectives Increase the provision of naloxone prescriptions and community resources to patients at high-risk of opioid overdose upon ED discharge. Methods To increase naloxone prescribing and provision of community resources to high-risk patients, a model for improvement methodology, a multi-disciplinary team, and prioritization of high-reliability interventions were used. Key drivers and interventions included: didactic lectures to providers, collation of community resources, real-time patient identification through a best practice advisory (BPA) in the EMR, prescriber order sets, and defaulting desired patient education materials (figure 1). Rates of naloxone prescribing and BPA-triggered order set use were tracked over time on statistical control charts (p-charts). Results The average proportion of high-risk patients who received naloxone prescriptions increased from a baseline of 1.9% to 6.6% after didactic education sessions, and 21.7% after implementation of EMR-based interventions (8 points above centerline, respectively) (figure 2). Since its implementation, 16% of fired BPAs resulted in naloxone order set activation (monthly range: 9–25%). Conclusions Our findings support that some emergency department providers are willing to prescribe naloxone to patients at risk for opioid overdose, and that prescribing is influenced by highly reliable work-aids built into EMR systems. The spread of similar technology to other care settings may be key to wider provider engagement in mitigating morbidity from opioid overdose.
Transparency in the Insurance Contract Law in the United States

In the United States, a mix of government regulation and common law decisions govern insurance contracts, and “transparency” in this context does not have a fixed meaning. There are not the sharp distinctions between public and private law that exist in many other jurisdictions (particularly in civil law countries). This is especially true in insurance, where laws regulating insurance contracts are typically a mix of specific government interaction—statutes, regulations, and regulatory notices and bulletins—and the common (“judge-made”) law. For these reasons, transparency standards for insurance agreements are best understood as including both access to essential information about the contract—the cost, forms, terms, endorsements, etc.—and disclosure and other regulatory requirements that support actual knowledge by the parties entering into the insurance agreement and consumer certainty of what coverage is provided.
Information sufficient segmentation and signal-to-noise ratio in stochastic optical localization nanoscopy

In stochastic optical localization nanoscopy, it is common practice that a localization algorithm segments the power-effective pixels, which are brighter than a threshold, and discards the rest of a data frame. In this scenario, we investigate the power-effective Fisher information and the power-effective signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) with respect to an index ρ<1, indicating that ρ fraction of the emitter power is utilized. The ρ-power effective Fisher information and the ρ-power effective SNR are derived for the Airy and Gaussian point spread functions (PSFs). It is shown that as ρ increases, the root mean square error of the Fisher information sharply drops to its lower bound, approximately ρ=0.8 for both PSFs. This result suggests that the 80%-power effective data in the emitter localization are information sufficient, and the 80%-power effective SNR is appropriate to indicate the quality of a data frame in the presence of noise.
Abstract PO-110: Determining the validity of patient pain markings for wound pain prior to debridement

Introduction: Little research has been done to determine if the wound pain markings correlate with the changes in measured wound size. For cancer patients, wound pain could be caused by the tumor or cancer treatments. The study purpose was to evaluate the validity of patient pain markings (body surface area) as an indicator of wound size and changes in size over time. This study will contribute to the clinicians’ understanding of the patient reported pain outcomes as an indicator of wound healing. Methodology: Among a sample of 40 participants, 22 (55%) were female, 38 (95%) were non-Hispanic, and 35 (88%) were White and 5 (12%) were Black. Mean age of participants was 70.8 (SD=9.1) years, 13 participants completed high school, 16 completed some college, and 11 completed more than college. The majority of the participants (n=23, 58%) were married. All subjects were asked to complete the PAINReportIt, an electronic adaptation of the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Their wound areas were measured using the Silhouette device, which measured the wound length, depth, and volume. Using the subject’s PAINReportIt pain markings on a body outline, the ImageJ software algorithm calculated the body surface area (BSA) in pixels as marked for each pain site. Analyses included descriptive statistics and Kendall correlations. Results: From the 40 unique patients, there were 157 visits where both BSA and wound size data were recorded: 18 patients had 5 visits, 4 had 8 visits, 7 had 3 visits, and 7 had data from 2 visits. As a context to the magnitude of pain the patients reported at visit 1, the mean pain intensity was 2.9±2.7 (0-10 scale). The wounds were in the lower extremity for 39 patients and in the foot for 1 patient. The mean wound area was 2634±8005 mm2. 35 patients reported pain in 1 site, 1 reported 2 sites, 1 reported 3 sites, 2 patients reported pain in 4 sites, and 1 patient did not report pain sites at visit 1 but did so at other visits. The between- subject correlation between the wound size and the BSA area marked was tau=.33 (p Citation Format: Jessi Noel, Rishabh Garg, Yingwei Yao, Michael Weaver, Debra Lyon, Joyce Stechmiller, Diana J. Wilkie. Determining the validity of patient pain markings for wound pain prior to debridement [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-110.
Complementary Medicine: Cannabinoids and the Hematopoietic Cell Transplant (HCT) Recipient

Naturally derived cannabinoids and cannabis products are proliferating in use within the United States and in many countries across the world. Individuals entering into the hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) process may be new or experienced users of cannabinoids, and the safe use and integration of naturally derived cannabis products with this process is not well defined. Patients and their families may have strongly held personal beliefs, and highly euphemistic messages are common in the lay press, making it challenging to have a medical discussion of cannabis product use with someone about to undergo a HCT. This chapter provides a brief overview of current knowledge of cannabinoids to support medical practitioners as they approach these discussions. This chapter should enable the practitioner to discuss drug interactions, assist with potential product selection, and identify at-risk populations for harm from cannabis products when reviewing patient medication preferences for their comorbid conditions.
Nonmutual Collateral Estoppel in Mississippi

This paper reviews the law of collateral estoppel in Mississippi, discusses the inconsistent treatment of the mutuality requirement, and proposes judicial reform compatible with the case law and principles of finality and consistency served by collateral estoppel.
Analysis of Bug Types of Textbook Code with Open-Source Software

This study aims to analyze the code examples of two widely adopted collegiate level programming textbooks using static analysis tools and compared them with the bugs found in real-world Open-Source Projects. Overall, 42.6% of the bugs found in the Texts relate to Internationalization, while the Open-Source Software (OSS) has 39.8% of their source code associated with Dodgy Code. Bad Practice issues consistently present in both Texts (18.0%) and OSS (26.4%) groups. DM_DEFAULT_ENCODING violation type ranked first in Texts. SE_NO_SERIALVERSIONID ranked first in OSS. DLS_DEAD_LOCAL_STORE in a Dodge Code category ranked fourth in both Texts and OSS. Textbooks are missing certain code examples that are related to the high-ranked bug types in OSS.
The Grassmann Manifold of a C*-Algebra, and Hermitian Holomorphic Bundles

In this note, we consider the set P of all selfadjoint idempotents of a given unital C*-algebra A as a (real) analytic manifold, and we study some of its geometrical properties. The submanifold P of A will be called the Grassmann manifold of A, due to its obvious identification with the classical Grassmann manifold, when A is the algebra of all (bounded) operators L(K) on a Hilbert space K (see [9], [8], and [15]).
Religiosity and Life Satisfaction Across the Life Course

Scant attention has been paid to social catalysts of the increase in religiosity in the maturational and aging process. Using the 1988 Gallup Survey, this paper first explores four major measures of religiosity (personal devotion, participation in public ritual, divine interaction, and preference for public or privatized religiosity) for seven age groups. Next, the impact of these religiosity measures on satisfaction with life is assessed for each of the major age categories. In light of these findings, the authors move toward developing a theory of religiosity and life course.
A new local feedback model of the saccadic burst generator

1. To accommodate the finding that the superior colliculus is an important input to the brain stem pathways that generate saccades (the saccadic burst generator), a new model of the burst generator...