cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pancreatoscopy-guided laser dissection and ablation for treatment of benign and neoplastic pancreatic disorders: an initial report (with videos).

Background and Aims Per-oral pancreatoscopy (POP) permits direct evaluation of the pancreatic duct for the visualization and sampling of neoplastic lesions and treatment of pancreatic duct stones by using intraductal lithotripsy techniques. Pancreatic laser endotherapy of mucosa has been described in animal models for tumor ablation, but human experience is lacking. We describe 3 unique and challenging clinical situations that benefited from pancreatic laser dissection and ablation. Case description Case 1 was a 75-year-old woman with presumed divisum-associated chronic pancreatitis who had recurrent acute pancreatitis despite minor papilla sphincterotomy and therapeutic stent placement. POP showed a side-branch intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm within the neck of the pancreas. POP-guided holmium laser ablation of neoplastic tissue was performed, followed by pancreatic stent placement every 6 months, with no further hospitalizations at 20 months of follow-up. Case 2 was a 69-year-old woman with divisum-associated chronic calcific pancreatitis and recalcitrant mid-body stenosis. Previous attempts at balloon dilation and stent placement failed to resolve the stenosis. POP-guided holmium laser dissection of the stenosis was pursued, with immediate radiographic resolution. Case 3 was a 65-year-old woman with chronic calcific pancreatitis and a large stone burden who underwent POP-guided electrohydraulic lithotripsy and partial stone extraction followed by stent placement. Unfortunately, the stent fractured during the subsequent removal attempt because the fragment was impacted in the pancreatic body. POP-guided laser dissection and lithotripsy were used to debulk dense fibrous tissue and stones surrounding the stent fragment, respectively, followed by removal. Conclusions Pancreatoscopy-guided laser endotherapy is a novel and potentially useful technique to manage difficult benign and neoplastic pancreatic disorders.
Whose rape kit? Stabilizing the Vitullo® Kit through positivist criminology and protocol feminism:

Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholarship has increasingly focused on the rape kit, with scholars critiquing the gendered biases that are enacted through the medico-legal exam and how the ki...
Comment on "A Bayesian sensitivity analysis of out-of-hospital 12-lead electrocardiograms: implications for regionalization of cardiac care".

I read with interest the article by Youngquist et al. suggesting that the low pretest probability of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in out-of-hospital patients with ischemic symptoms, combined with an imperfect electrocardiogram (ECG) specificity for STEMI, will unacceptably lower the positive predictive value of an out-of-hospital ECG. In April 2005 when we set up our system for out-of-hospital activation, without any base physician involvement, we required both a computer-aided ECG diagnosis of **Acute MI** and the presence of chest pain. Dyspnea, cardiac arrest, or any other presentation that did not include chest pain was not adequate for the paramedic decision to activate the catheterization laboratory. Through July 2007, we had 55 patients with STEMI correctly activated by the emergency medical services (EMS) and only four false-positive activations, for a positive predictive value of 93%. Since January 2004, a total of 68 of 104 (65%) STEMI patients transported by EMS would have been eligible for activation based on these criteria. The mean doorto-balloon time with out-of-hospital activation decreased from 86 to 56 minutes for those who have chest pain and **Acute MI** by the algorithm. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2008.00089.x Stephen W. Smith, MD (smith253@umn.edu) Hennepin County Medical Center and Department of Emergency Medicine University of Minnesota School of Medicine Minneapolis, MN Hennepin County Medical Center, EMS Minneapolis MN
Synthesis of a novel resorcin[4]arene–glucose conjugate and its catalysis of the CuAAC reaction for the synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles in water

The Cu(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) in aqueous media using resorcin[4]arene glycoconjugate (RG) is reported. The eight β-D-glucopyranoside moieties constructed on the resorcin[4]arene upper rim provide a pseudo-saccharide cavity that offers a suitable host environment for water-insoluble hydrophobic azido and/or alkyne substrates in water. The utility of RG was established as an efficient inverse phase transfer catalyst for the CuAAC in water as a green approach for the synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole species. The catalytic utility of RG (1 mol%) was demonstrated in a multicomponent one-pot CuAAC for various azido/alkyne substrates. The RG acts as a molecular host and a micro-reactor resulting in the 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles in excellent yield.
High Asymmetric Longitudinal Field Ion Mobility Spectrometry Device for Low Power Mobile Chemical Separation and Detection.

We have developed a novel chemical sensing technique termed high asymmetric longitudinal field ion mobility spectrometry (HALF-IMS), which allows separation of ions based on mobility differences in high and low electric fields. Our device is microfabricated, has a miniature format, and uses exceptionally low power due to the lack of RF separation fields normally associated with ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) or differential mobility spectrometry (DMS). It operates at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. This HALF-IMS chip contains a microscale drift cell where spatially varying electric field regions of high and low strengths are generated by direct current (DC) applied to the electrodes that are physically placed to cause ionic separation as the ionized chemical flows along the drift cell. Power and complexity are reduced at the chip and system levels by reducing the voltage magnitude and using DC-powered electronics. A testing platform utilizing an ultraviolet (UV) photoionization source was used...
Rethinking tobacco control

Joaquin Barnoya explains that reducing smoking is about more than targeting smokers. Particularly in the developing world, we should pay attention to smokeless tobacco and secondhand smoke
DNA Methylation Across the Serotonin Transporter Gene Following Marital Separation: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND Marital separation and divorce are stressful life transitions associated with increased risk for a range of poor mental and physical health outcomes. A key task for research in this area is to identify individual differences that may index risk for these adverse outcomes. PURPOSE To examine the association between DNA methylation across the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) and self-reported emotional distress following marital separation. METHODS Genomic DNA methylation (from buffy coat fractions of whole blood) was quantified in a sample of 47 adults following a recent marital separation; concurrent with the blood draw, participants completed questionnaires on their psychological adjustment to the separation experience. RESULTS Relatively greater methylation of SLC6A4 was associated with less subjective separation-related psychological distress, and this association held after accounting for participants' age, length of the relationship, time since the separation, and SLC6A4 genotype, b = -211.99, SE = 94.91, p = .03, 95% CI: -402.22, -25.21. Significantly stronger negative associations were observed between methylation and psychological adjustment among participants who had more recently separated from their former partner. CONCLUSIONS Although results derived from small samples must be considered preliminary and hypothesis generating, the current study raises new questions about the role of DNA methylation and psychosocial adaptation to stressful life events such as divorce, and the findings can inform future studies in this research area.
Does Lower Level of Education and Health Literacy Affect Successful Outcomes in Bariatric Surgery

Abstract Background: Our previous study demonstrated that lower level of education was associated with increased rates of postoperative hospital visits following bariatric surgery, potentially seco...
Expression Level Dominance and Homeolog Expression Bias in Recurrent Origins of the Allopolyploid Fern Polypodium hesperium

Allopolyploidization is a common mode of speciation in ferns with many taxa having formed recurrently from distinct hybridization events between the same parent species. Each hybridization event marks the union of divergent parental gene copies, or homeologs, and the formation of an independently derived lineage. Little is known about the effects of recurrent origins on the genomic composition and phenotypic variation of allopolyploid fern taxa. To begin to address this knowledge gap, we investigated gene expression patterns in two naturally formed, independently derived lineages of the allotetraploid fern Polypodium hesperium relative to its diploid progenitor species, Polypodium amorphum and Polypodium glycyrrhiza. Using RNA-sequencing to survey total gene expression levels for 19194 genes and homeolog-specific expression for 1073 genes, we found that, in general, gene expression in both lineages of P. hesperium was biased toward P. amorphum—both by mirroring expression levels of P. amorphum and preferentially expressing homeologs derived from P. amorphum. However, we recovered substantial expression variation between the two lineages at the level of individual genes and among individual specimens. Our results align with similar transcriptome profile studies of angiosperms, suggesting that expression in many allopolyploid plants reflects the dominance of a specific parental subgenome, but that recurrent origins impart substantial expression, or phenotypic, variation to allopolyploid taxa.
Global differences in the prevalence of the CpG island methylator phenotype of colorectal cancer.

CpG Island Methylator Phenotype (CIMP) is an epigenetic phenotype in CRC characterized by hypermethylation of CpG islands in promoter regions of tumor suppressor genes, leading to their transcriptional silencing and loss of function. While the prevalence of CRC differs across geographical regions, no studies have compared prevalence of CIMP-High phenotype across regions. The purpose of this project was to compare the prevalence of CIMP across geographical regions after adjusting for variations in methodologies to measure CIMP in a meta-analysis. We searched PubMed, Medline, and Embase for articles focusing on CIMP published from 2000 to 2018. Two reviewers independently identified 111 articles to be included in final meta-analysis. We classified methods used to quantify CIMP into 4 categories: a) Classical (MINT marker) Panel group b) Weisenberg-Ogino (W-O) group c) Human Methylation Arrays group and d) Miscellaneous group. We compared the prevalence of CIMP across geographical regions after correcting for methodological variations using meta-regression techniques. The pooled prevalence of CIMP-High across all studies was 22% (95% confidence interval:21–24%; I2 = 94.75%). Pooled prevalence of CIMP-H across Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America was 22, 21, 21, 27 and 25%, respectively. Meta-regression analysis identified no significant differences in the prevalence of CIMP-H across geographical regions after correction for methodological variations. In exploratory analysis, we observed variations in CIMP-H prevalence across countries. Although no differences were found for CIMP-H prevalence across countries, further studies are needed to compare the influence of demographic, lifestyle and environmental factors in relation to the prevalence of CIMP across geographical regions.
Mumps: An update on outbreaks, vaccine efficacy, and genomic diversity

Mumps is an acute viral infection characterized by inflammation of the parotid and other salivary glands. Persons with mumps are infectious from 2 days before through 5 days after parotitis onset, and transmission is through respiratory droplets. Despite the success of mumps vaccination programs in the United States and parts of Europe, a recent increase in outbreaks of mumps virus infections among fully vaccinated populations has been reported. Although the effectiveness of the mumps virus component of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is suboptimal, a range of contributing factors has led to these outbreaks occurring in high-vaccination-coverage settings, including the intensity of exposure, the possibility of vaccine strain mismatch, delayed implementation of control measures due to the timeliness of reporting, a lack of use of appropriate laboratory tests (such as reverse transcription-PCR), and time since last vaccination. The resurgence of mumps virus infections among previously vaccinated individuals over the past decade has prompted discussions about new strategies to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks. The decision to implement a third dose of the MMR vaccine in response to an outbreak should be considered in discussions with local public health agencies. Traditional public health measures, including the isolation of infectious persons, timely contact tracing, and effective communication and awareness education for the public and medical community, should remain key interventions for outbreak control. Maintaining high mumps vaccination coverage remains key to U.S. and global efforts to reduce disease incidence and rates of complications.
Large VARX Model With Network Regularization

The vector autoregression model (VAR) has long been used for portfolio analysis, with recent extensions that incorporate exogenous factors (VARX). Despite its increased forecasting precision, the applicability of the VARX model is deeply hampered in the absence of sparsity, as the amount of coefficients to be estimated grows quadratically with the number of series. We introduce a novel regularization method for VARX model in the context of portfolios, where weighted links between portfolios are used to construct a penalty function for the autoregressive parameter matrices. To test the prediction performance of the new method, we first cluster the time series into several groups using wavelet decomposition and hierarchical clustering, after which we construct datasets of different homogeneity. Our method is meritorious from two perspectives: the computation time for the model is significantly reduced and the forecasting precision of the model is enhanced by fifty percent compared to existing regularization methods.
Imaging of 2D Objects through a Non-dispersive Chiral Thick Lens with Bimodal Propagation using Fresnel Coefficients

Fresnel coefficients are used to track dual image formation for a 2D object via bimodal (right- and left-circularly polarized) propagation through a non-dispersive chiral thick lens, and real and virtual image conditions investigated based on material parameters.
Clinical impact of hypothalamic-pituitary disorders after conformal radiation therapy for pediatric low-grade glioma or ependymoma.

Background To determine the impact of hypothalamic-pituitary (HP) disorders on health outcomes in children and adolescents who received conformal radiation therapy (RT) for central nervous system tumors. Procedure Cohort study including 355 patients (age ≤25 years at diagnosis) treated with high-dose (50.4-59.4 Gy) RT using photons for low-grade glioma or ependymoma. Patients (median age, 6.4 years at RT) received systematic endocrine follow-up (median duration, 10.1 years; range, 0.1-19.6). Associations between HP disorders and adverse health outcomes were determined by multivariable analysis. Results Prevalence was 37.2% for growth hormone deficiency (GHD), 17.7% for gonadotropin deficiency (LH/FSHD), 14.9% for thyroid-stimulating hormone deficiency (TSHD), 10.3% for adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency (ACTHD), and 12.6% for central precocious puberty (CPP). Hypothalamus mean dose ≥ 36 Gy was associated with higher odds of any deficiency. GHD was associated with short stature (OR 2.77; 95% CI 1.34-5.70), low bone mineral density (OR 3.47; 95% CI 1.16-10.40), and TSHD with dyslipidemia (OR 5.54; 95% CI 1.66-18.52). Patients with ACTHD and CPP had lower intelligence quotient scores, and memory scores were impaired in patients with GHD (P = 0.02). Treatment of GHD was not associated with increased risk for tumor recurrence, secondary tumors, or mortality. Conclusions HP disorders occur frequently in patients receiving high-dose RT and are related to physical and neurocognitive well-being. Future studies are needed to assess whether further optimization of endocrine management yields better health outcomes.
End Stage Chronic Pain (ESCP): Naming Complex Suffering in the Opioid Crisis Era

The "opioid crisis" stemming from overprescribing of prescription opioids describes an iatrogenic situation which has resulted in a rise in opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose deaths. Many of these patients suffer from chronic non-cancer pain syndromes (CNCP) who have been injudiciously treated with opioids. Some patients with CNCP are treated successfully with opioids in accordance with modern guidelines. There is a very complex, small group of patients with CNCP who require higher than recommended dosages of opioids when other modalities and treatments have failed. We describe such a patient and believe that there is a subset of patients with unremitting suffering from chronic pain which we have called end-stage chronic pain (ESCP). These patients, despite receiving expert chronic pain care, often require high doses of opioids and suffer a dramatic decline in quality of life (QOL), function and an increase in their suffering when their opioids are tapered or discontinued. We have responded to the treatment of this group of patients by critically examining our approach to the use of opioids for their pain and attempting to reconcile high dose opioids in the setting of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. We describe a patient with severe chronic pain from congenital spinal disease who experienced increased pain and suffering when his opioids were tapered. We will discuss our approach to this patient and in doing so discuss the concept of ESCP and proposed criteria for the use of high dose opioids in such patients.
Carmen Elvira: An Adult ESL Student (and Teacher) Newly Arrived from Mexico

Through Carmen Elvira’s testimonio as an adult, we explore how one’s multiple literacies and languaging dynamically shift through life stages. Carmen Elvira is a proud Mexican woman who moved to the U.S. nearly five years ago with her multilingual daughters and husband. In addition to the physical Mexico-U.S. border, she explores many cultures and languages in a transborder lifestyle nurtured by technology. Simultaneously both an ESL teacher and an ESL student, she blurs the lines we might place on one’s roles in language learning/teaching contexts. Through her testimonio, readers will see her resistance literacies emerge from a well of cultural pride and individual strength, how digital literacies allow her to language resistance, and how her cosmopolitan literacies intersect with and extend her languaging across borders.
Properties and a grounding principle

In this paper, I advance a lesser known counterfactual principle of grounding in a new kind of way by appealing to properties and the work they do. I then show that this new way of arguing for this...
Independent Director Models in India and the United States: A Comparative Assessment

The role of independent directors features prominently in corporate governance codes. U.S. public companies continue to adopt the best practices within the framework of strengthened securities market listing standards and legal requirements that developed, beginning with the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and have continued with the financial crisis and the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act. In India, key corporate governance laws had not kept pace with the changing contours of the economy until the recent enactment of the Companies Act of 2013, which completely revamps the country’s corporate governance code. In this research study, I present a comparative assessment of the independent director models both in India and the U.S. on several key parameters, i.e. definition and selection, board and committee composition, manner of appointment, term of office, remuneration, and duties and liabilities.
Engineering and Scientific Implications of Noise Control Legislation

There has been much discussion regarding the needs for even greater engineering and scientific action for environmental management. However, as pointed out in a report of the Subcommittee on Science Research and Development of the Committee on Science and Astronautics, U.S. House of Representatives, “the human race is in fact managing the environment today.” The multitude of subjects discussed at the UN Conference on Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, in the past few days clearly are indicative of the many aspects of environmental management or “mismanagement” (depending upon the particular situations and circumstances) which are involved. Of major concern are, in fact, the mistakes in environmental management which require the use of science, technology and engineering to minimize the impact on society and mankind throughout the world.
Men Who Know They Are Watched: Some Benefits and Costs of Jailing for Nonpayment of Support

Suppose that by some mysterious process the police in your town received each Monday a list of all the robberies and burglaries committed during the preceding week and the names of the persons who committed them. Suppose further that the list itself was admissible in evidence at trial and generally led to conviction. And suppose finally that persons considering committing offenses knew that the police had such a list and used it, relentlessly tracking down the miscreants named on it. Under such circumstances, one would probably expect that many potential offenders in the town with the magical list would resist the temptation to rob or burgle stores. For one offense, such a list does exist. For over fifty years, each county government in Michigan has maintained an agency called the Friend of the Court that is responsible for receiving all child-support payments from parents under orders of support after a divorce or adjudication of paternity. The agency knows on Monday if the parent under an order of support failed to make a payment the preceding Friday, and the parent under an order of support, almost always the father, knows that the agency knows. He is also aware
Motion-Based Part Segmentation and Tracking

This chapter extends the previously developed PBM framework to allow for simultaneous part segmentation, shape and motion estimation of complex multipart objects, including humans. This extension addresses a variety of problems in computer vision and computer graphics.
Parallel Algorithms for Large Scale Power System Dynamic Simulation

In this paper the authors present an overview of the existing parallel architecture types, followed by a brief survey of the algorithms which have been developed for power system simulation utilizing various parallel processors. The authors present their main contribution in the final section by presenting recent efforts in the application of waveform relaxation methods to power systems. The authors correlate the physical properties of the power system to the rate of convergence of the numerical waveform iterations.
An Optimal Reservation-Pool Approach for Guaranteeing the Call-Level QoS in Next-Generation Wireless Networks

In order to provide the guaranteed mobile QoS (Quality-of-service) for arriving multi-class calls, we need to minimize the dropping rate of handoff calls while at the same time controlling the blocking rate of new calls. This paper proposed a new multi-class call admission control mechanism that is based on dynamically formed reservation pool for handoff requests. The simulation results show that the individual QoS criteria of multi-class traffic such as the handoff call dropping probability can be achieved within a targeted objective and the new call blocking probability is constrained to be below a given level. The proposed scheme is applicable to channel allocation of multi-class calls over high-speed multimedia wireless networks.
Electrochemical performance of BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.1Yb0.1O3−δ electrolyte based proton-conducting SOFC solid oxide fuel cell with layered perovskite PrBaCo2O5+δ cathode

Abstract BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.1Yb0.1O3−δ (BZCYYb) exhibits adequate protonic conductivity as well as sufficient chemical and thermal stability over a wide range of SOFC operating conditions, while layered perovskite PrBaCo2O5+δ (PBCO) has advanced electrochemical properties. This research fully takes advantage of these advanced properties and develops a novel protonic ceramic membrane fuel cell (PCMFC) of Ni–BZCYYb|BZCYYb|PBCO. The performance of the button cell was tested under intermediate-temperature range from 600 to 700 °C with humified H2 (∼3% H2O) as fuel and ambient air as oxidant. The results show that the open circuit potential of 0.983 V and the maximal power density of 490 mW cm−2 were achieved at 700 °C. By co-doping barium zirconate–cerate with Y and Yb, the conductivity of electrolyte was significantly improved. The polarization processes of the button cell were characterized using the complicated electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique. The results indicate that the polarization resistances contributed from both charge migration processes and mass transfer processes increase with decreasing cell voltage loads. However the polarization resistance induced by mass transfer processes is negligible in the studied button cell.
The Rise and Fall of Biotic Nativeness: A Historical Perspective

relationships between biota, places and eras. We believe much well - intended effort is wasted on research contrasting ‘ nave ’ tiand ‘ alien ’ taxa, and by conserva-tion projects focused primarily on preserving or restor-ing natives. 4.2 NATIVENESS CODIFIED In recent discussions, human disper sal is said to render populations, and indeed any successor populations, non - nave ti (Klein 2002 ; Py s ek et al. 2004 ; Bean 2007 ). Nativeness is therefore revocable, but non - nativeness is permanent. Being once human - dispersed accomplishes a mutagenic denaturing. Simberloff ’ s (2005) declaration that ‘ Non - nave ti species DO threaten the natural environment! ’ (emphasis origi-nal) makes sense only if a human act of dispersal renders nature unnatural. Should dispersal history determine present belong-ing? Bean (2007) approvingly cites Ross and Walsh ’ s (2003) reason for distinguishing between native and alien plant taxa: ‘ Recognition of a taxon as a native, especially if it has a restricted distribution or is known from only a few populations, may result in the expendi-ture of considerable resources to try and ensure the survival of populations. Conversely, classiﬁ cation as an introduced species may result in efforts being made to eradicate populations ’ . Ross and Walsh moved seam-lessly from elucidating dispersal histories to interven-ing on those that evidence human participation. They gave no
Putnam's Traditional Neo‐Essentialism

Recently, several philosophers have defended what might be called ‘neo-essentialism’ about natural kinds. Their views purport to improve upon the traditional essentialism of Kripke and Putnam by rejecting the claim that essences must be comprised of intrinsic properties. I argue that this so-called break from traditional essentialism is not a break at all, because the widespread interpretation of Putnam according to which he takes essences to be intrinsic is mistaken. Putnam makes no claim to the effect that essences of natural kinds must be intrinsic, and offers at least one example of a natural kind whose essence is non-intrinsic. I conclude that his traditional essentialism has been misinterpreted, and consequently that neo-essentialism is not so ‘neo’ after all.
Watching an atom tunnel

Physicists have managed to watch individual hydrogen atoms move on metal surfaces at very low temperatures — in defiance of classical physics.
Partial melt in the oceanic low velocity zone

Abstract Parameterizations of experimental data constraining the influence of CO2 and H2O on silicate melting, combined with experimental data on the stability of carbonatite in the upper mantle, allow calculation of the stability of partial melts in the seismic low velocity zone (LVZ) beneath oceanic lithosphere. For mantle with volatile contents similar to the sources of mid-ocean ridge basalt (100 ppm H2O, 60 ppm CO2), small amounts of melt are thermodynamically stable throughout the LVZ. On a weight basis, CO2 has less influence than H2O in stabilizing near-solidus partial melts of peridotite, but stability of volatile-rich near-solidus melts is dominated by CO2 rather than H2O because CO2 is less compatible than H2O in peridotite. For mantle potential temperatures (MPT) ranging from 1300 to 1400 °C, CO2-rich silicate melts are stable to depths of 130–180 km and carbonatite stable at greater depths and also in the shallow regions (70–100 km) beneath older lithosphere. Calculated melt fractions of carbonatite do not exceed 0.024% and silicate melt fractions are 40 Ma) lithosphere, except for a thin region at ∼120 km when the MPT approaches 1400 °C. These melt fractions are maxima if compaction is effective over the ∼100 Ma life of oceanic lithosphere. The regions of high melt fraction correspond broadly with the locus of low shear wave velocity imaged tomographically, though the melt fractions present may be too small to account for the seismic characteristics of the LVZ. Carbonatite cannot be present in large regions of the LVZ, particularly at intermediate depths (60–145 km) beneath young lithosphere ( Gaillard et al., 2008 ). Horizontal lenses of melt beneath the lithosphere/asthenosphere boundary may be responsible for the sharp seismic G discontinuity that marks the lithosphere/asthenosphere boundary in oceanic domains, but if so they must consist of melt collected at that horizon by percolation of deeper magmas or melt concentrated in high aspect ratio enriched heterogeneities.
Current concepts in acute respiratory support for neonates and children

Current trends in mechanical respiratory support are evolving toward gentle approaches to avoid short- and long-term problems that are historically associated with mechanical ventilation. These ventilator-associated issues include the need for long-term sedation, muscle deconditioning, ventilator-associated lung injury (VALI), and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). This article will describe recent trends of ventilatory support in neonates and children: (1) utilization of volume ventilation in infants, (2) synchrony and improving patient-ventilator interaction specifically using neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA), and (3) use of noninvasive ventilation techniques. When applicable, their uses in the surgical newborn and pediatric patients are described.
A new allele in the prealbumin system of horse serum markers.

Summary A family study of an index case in the Arabian breed of horses demonstrated the presence of a new allele in the prealbumin (Pr) system of electrophoretically determined markers in horse serum which, when homozygous, results in the absence of any recognizable zones in the Pr region. The symbol Pr is proposed for this allele which has an estimated frequency in Arabian horses of 0.09.
Child body mass index, obesity, and proximity to fast food restaurants.

Objectives. Using a sample of elementary and middle school students, we examined the associations between body mass index (BMI), obesity, and measures of the proximity of fast food and full service...
Myocardial scintigraphy with technetium-99m pyrophosphate during the early phase of acute infarction☆

Abstract To determine the sensitivity of myocardial scintigraphy with techne-tium-99m pyrophosphate during the early phase of acute myocardial infarction, 31 patients admitted to the coronary care unit with prolonged ischemic pain underwent imaging within 4 to 8 hours and again at 24 hours after the onset of symptoms. In 11 of 15 patients with documented acute myocardial infarction, increased focal myocardial uptake was demonstrated on early myocardial scintigraphy. Focal uptake was observed in only 2 of 16 patients with unstable angina pectoris. Three of four patients with normal early scintigrams had massive transmural myocardial infarction. Normal early scintigrams in these three patients may have reflected poor perfusion because the images were abnormal at 24 hours. In four patients the extent of technetium-99m pyrophosphate uptake increased more than 20 percent at 24 hours without other evidence of infarct extension. In the other seven patients, there was no significant change in the area of the abnormal radioactive uptake between early and delayed scintiscans. This study suggests that technetium-99m pyrophosphate scintigraphy can detect acute myocardial infarction as early as 4 hours after the onset of symptoms although the sensitivity rate (73 percent) is less than that at 24 hours.
An analytical model for dwell and interface defeat

Summary An analytical model that captures the essential mechanics of dwell and interface defeat—the phenomenon where an impacting projectile flows radially outward (erodes) along the surface of the target (usually ceramic) with no significant penetration—is presented. During dwell, the projectile loses kinetic energy due to mass loss and deceleration. It is shown that model predictions are in very good agreement with experimental data.
Identification and wide-area visualization of the centers of oscillation for a large-scale power system

A system wide disturbance event usually triggers inter-area oscillations at the system. Understanding the nature of those oscillations is important for taking necessary early mitigation actions. This work presents a novel scheme for analyzing inter-area oscillations by identification of the centers of oscillation (CoO) using two methods based on wide-area measurement data: one method directly calculate CoOs for transmission lines with synchrophasors on both ends and the other estimate CoOs based on contour visualization about frequency deviations extrapolated for the entire map. CoOs serve as pivots between oscillating parts under disturbances and hence indicate the grid interfaces involved in oscillation, so this scheme can provide the operator recommendations on where mitigation actions may be taken to prevent instability. The proposed scheme is tested using simulated synchrophasor data on a WECC 179-bus test system.
A New Decade of Veterinary Research: Societal Relevance, Global Collaboration, and Translational Medicine.

Veterinary research and clinical contributions reach into every aspect of biomedical health and science: livestock production and food safety; zoonotic diseases, epidemiology, and public health; comparative basic and translational research; companion animal medicine and surgery; animal welfare and the human-animal bond; and wildlife and ecosystem health. Diversity is not only a key strength of veterinary science but also a challenge. Veterinary research in the next decade must strengthen the scientific impact of its core mission in animal health while firmly reinforcing its societal and global relevance. Key research challenges include water- and food-borne pathogens and drug residues, zoonotic pathogens and infectious diseases, and evidence-based companion animal medicine and its translational applications to human health. Meeting these challenges will require cross-disciplinary global collaborations, significant national research investment, and innovative online publishing tools to facilitate networking and open scientific exchange.
Abstract A88: Depression and short telomere length increased mortality in bladder cancer patients

There is compelling evidence suggesting that depression is associated with elevated mortality in aging-related diseases, including cancer. Telomere shortening is a marker of biological aging and is involved in cancer development. Recent studies have shown that major depressive disorder with a chronic course is associated with shortened telomere length. Several conceptual models have been proposed to explain the underlying mechanism between depression and cancer; however, no study has evaluated depression and telomere length in modifying cancer outcomes. In a prospective study, we recruited 464 bladder cancer patients and collected demographic, clinical and depression data. Telomere length was measured from blood samples at baseline for each patient. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Multivariate cox regression was used to assess the association between depressive symptoms, telomere length, and bladder cancer mortality, as well as the joint effect of depressive symptoms and telomere length on bladder cancer mortality. The Kaplan-Meier plots and log rank tests were applied to compare survival time of subgroups by depressive symptoms and telomere length. During a median follow up of 21.6 months, 88 deaths occurred. Patients with CES-D scores ≥16 (clinical screening criteria) had a 1.89-fold (95%CI: 1.12-3.20, P=0.018) increased risk of all-cause mortality relative to patients with CES-D scores 200 months, P log rank=0.004). In univariate analysis, long telomere length (dichotomized by median) was associated with significantly improved survival (HR=0.55; 95% CI=0.34 to 0.89. P=0.015), but the association was not significant in multivariate analysis. A joint effect of short telomere length and depressive symptoms was observed: compared to patients with CES-D scores < 16 and long telomere length, patients with CES-D scores ≥16 and short telomeres exhibited an over 3-fold increased risk of mortality (HR=3.19, 95% CI, 1.44-7.04, P=0.004) and significantly shorter disease-free survival (31.3 months vs. 199.8 months, P<0.001). Our study suggests that shortened telomere length and depressive symptoms influence bladder cancer mortality, individually and jointly. Findings highlight the need to provide interventions that address high levels of depressive symptoms, which may result in improved survival in bladder cancer patients. Citation Format: Meng Chen, Jie Lin, Jan Blalock, Lorenzo Cohen, Paul M. Cinciripini, Xifeng Wu. Depression and short telomere length increased mortality in bladder cancer patients. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A88.
Chemistry of Chlorine in Dense Interstellar Clouds

Laboratory experiments and theoretical modeling show that the chemistry of chlorine is fairly simple in dense interstellar clouds, with Cl and HCl as the only species whose fractional abundances are significant. The estimated fraction of gas-phase chlorine present as HCl lies between 25-65 percent, in good agreement with the recent observations of the ground state HCl transition by Blake, Keene, and Philips (1985). These results, combined with the observational limits on HCl, indicate that chlorine is not severely depleted in dense interstellar clouds.
Molecular interactions within the ecdysone regulatory hierarchy: DNA binding properties of the Drosophila ecdysone-inducible E74A protein

Abstract The E 74 early ecdysone-inducible gene plays a key role in the regulatory hlerarchy activated by ecdysone at the onset of Drosophlla metamorphosis. We show here that E74A protein binds to three adjacent sites in the middle of the E 74 gene. The consensus sequence for E74A protein binding, determined by random-sequence ollgonucleotide selection, contains an invariant purine-rich core sequence, C/AGGAA. This sequence is also present in the binding sites of two mammalian proteins that, like E74A , are related to the ets oncoprotein. Antibody staining of larval sallvary gland polytene chromosomes revealed that E74A protein binds to both early and late ecdysone-inducible puffs. This study supports Ashburner's proposal that the early puffs encode site-specific DNA binding proteins that directly interact with the early and late ecdysone-inducible puffs.
MicroRNAs function on a new level

In this issue of Blood, Zardo et al describe an emerging mechanism by which microRNAs can regulate gene expression in blood cells via transcriptional gene silencing (TGS). The authors provide evidence that miR-223 binds to specific sites within the promoter of its target gene Nfia and represses transcription by influencing epigenetic events. These observations support the notion that multiple mechanisms of miRNA-mediated gene repression exist and should be considered when investigating gene targets of a given miRNA of interest.
Topological soliton perturbation for sine-Gordon equation with full nonlinearity

This Letter obtains the adiabatic parameter dynamics of topological solitons that are described by the fully nonlinear version of the perturbed sine-Gordon equation. The soliton perturbation theory is used to carry out the investigation.
Pond production of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) fed high levels of soybean meal in various combinations

Abstract The objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of four diets formulated to contain high levels of soybean meal in combination with either poultry by-product, fish meal, distiller's dried grains with solubles, or pea meal in production diets for L. vannamei . Outdoor ponds and tanks were utilized to evaluate the response of the shrimp over the culture period. The pond production trial was conducted in 0.1-ha ponds stocked with juvenile shrimps (mean weight ± S.D., 0.038 ± 0.004 g) at 35 shrimp m −2 and cultured under standardized pond production conditions for 18 weeks. The same dietary treatments plus a commercial reference diet were offered to shrimp (initial weight of 2.1 g) maintained in outdoor tanks (800 L) over a 12-week period. The results for the pond study demonstrated that final production ranged between 5054 and 5265 kg ha −1 , mean final weight varied from 15.98 to 16.28 g, survival ranging from 86.6 to 93.7%, and FCR was between 1.32 and 1.37. There were no differences (P ≥ 0.05) or notable trends in shrimp production variables among different test diets. Shrimp reared in the outdoor tanks confirmed these findings. Average final weights ranged between 18.53 and 19.00 g, survival varied from 97.3 to 98.7%, and FCR was between 1.30 and 1.33. The results from the outdoor tank study also showed no differences (P ≥ 0.05) in final weight, survival, or FCR among test diets. Diet containing partial fishmeal showed no benefit on growth performance of L . vannamei comparing with diets containing high levels of soybean meal in combinations with poultry by-product, distiller's dried grains with solubles or pea meal. Therefore, these studies demonstrated that practical shrimp feeds containing no fish meal had no negative impact on growth performances of L . vannamei .
Quantum‐confinement effects in CdTe‐glass composite thin films produced using rf magnetron sputtering

Quantum‐confinement‐induced shifts in the fundamental absorption edge of isolated CdTe crystallites are reported in CdTe‐glass composite thin films produced using a sequential rf magnetron sputtering process employing two separate sputtering sources. Films ranging in thickness from 0.5 to 4.5 μm and containing as much as 30 vol % CdTe have been produced, illustrating the versatility of this technique over a more conventional melting approach. Post‐deposition heat treatments were used to produce average crystallite sizes in the range 46–158 A. An improved fit to theory at larger crystal sizes is found if a cylindrical crystal morphology is assumed. The effective mass of the confined specie, which governs the shift of the absorption edge with crystal size, is found to be 0.20m0 (spherical morphology) and 0.12m0 (cylindrical morphology), both of which are greater than the exciton‐reduced mass in bulk CdTe. The data suggests, therefore, that a non‐negligible Coulomb interaction may still exist in crystals eve...
Modèle thermo-halin de la retenue de Mirgenbach à Cattenom

Le refroidissement du Centre de Production Nucleaire de Cattenom s'effectue par prelevement d'eau de Moselle. Cette eau echauffee, dont une partie est evaporee dans les aerorefrigerants, est restituee a la Moselle. L'eau rejetee transite par la retenue de Mirgenbach qui sert de source froide pour la centrale. En cas de difficulte d'alimentation en eau de Moselle, elle peut alors fonctionner en circuit ferme sur la retenue. Toutefois certaines contraintes (debit, niveau, temperatures, salinite) doivent etre respectees, sinon la puissance de la centrale doit etre diminuee, voire annulee. Afin de deceler les periodes et les cas de figure difficiles, un modele mathematique unidimensionnel sur la verticale, base sur le bilan d'energie, a ete utilise pour simuler le comportement thermique et la salinite de la retenue. Applique a des donnees passees (1961 -1986) il a permis de montrer par exemple que la periode la plus critique (ete 1976) ne provoquait pas d'indisponibilite lorsque 2 tranches fonctionnent, mais pouvait conduire a 40 jours d'arret pour 4 tranches. II a ete adapte pour un usage en temps reel, en utilisant des previsions hydrometeorologiques, de facon a adapter au mieux la gestion de la centrale en fonction des conditions du moment. II pourra etre perfectionne pour tenir compte de l'effet du traitement antitartre a l'acide chlorhydrique, voire pour simuler l'evolution d'autres parametres de qualite d'eau : oxygene dissous, DBO, biomasse du phytoplancton.
A two-dimensional computational model of a PEMFC with liquid water transport

A comprehensive, steady-state, computational model of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) derived from first principles is presented. The model is two-dimensional and includes the transport of liquid water within the porous electrodes as well as the transport of gaseous species, protons, energy, and water dissolved in the ion conducting polymer. Electrochemical kinetics are modeled with standard rate equations adapted to an agglomerate catalyst layer structure. Some of the physical properties used in constructing the model are determined experimentally for an in-house membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and are presented herein. Experimental results obtained for the MEA are used to validate the computational model. Modeling results are presented that illustrate the importance of the transport of water within the porous sections of the cell and in the polymer regions of the MEA.
Interacting Particle-Based Model for Missing Data in Sensor Networks: Foundations and Applications

Missing data is unavoidable in sensor networks due to sensor faults, communication malfunctioning and malicious attacks. There is a very little insight in missing data causes and statistical and pattern properties of missing data in collected data streams. To address this problem, we utilize interacting-particle model that takes into account both patterns of missing data at individual sensor data streams as well as the correlation between occurrence of missing data at other sensor data streams. The model can be used in algorithms and protocols for energy efficient data collection and other tasks in presence of missing data. We use statistical intersensor models for predicting the readings of different sensors. As a driver application, we address the problem of energy efficient sensing by adaptively coordinating the sleep schedules of sensor nodes while we guarantee that values of nodes in the sleep mode can be recovered from the awake nodes within a user's specified error bound and probability of missing data at awake nodes is less than a given threshold. The sleeping coordination is addressed by creating the maximal number of subgroups of disjoint nodes, each of whose data is sufficient to recover the data of the entire network in presence of missing data. On simulated and actually collected data for temperature and humidity sensors in Intel Berkeley Lab, we show that by using sleeping coordination that considers missing data, we reduce the typcial 40% missing data rate of traditional sleeping techniques to less than 7%.