cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Succinct Adaptive Garbled RAM.

We show how to garble a large persistent database and then garble, one by one, a sequence of adaptively and adversarially chosen RAM programs that query and modify the database in arbitrary ways. Still, it is guaranteed that the garbled database and programs reveal only the outputs of the programs when run in sequence on the database. The runtime, space requirements and description size of the garbled programs are proportional only to those of the plaintext programs and the security parameter. We assume indistinguishability obfuscation for circuits and poly-to-one collision-resistant hash functions. The latter can be constructed based on standard algebraic assumptions such as the hardness of discrete log or factoring. In contrast, all previous garbling schemes with persistent data were shown secure only in the static setting where all the programs are known in advance. As an immediate application, our scheme is the first to provide a way to outsource large databases to untrusted servers, and later query and update the database over time in a private and verifiable way, with complexity and description size proportional to those of the unprotected queries. Our scheme extends the non-adaptive RAM garbling scheme of Canetti and Holmgren [ITCS 2016]. We also define and use a new primitive, called adaptive accumulators, which is an adaptive alternative to the positional accumulators of Koppula et al [STOC 2015] and somewhere statistical binding hashing of Hubacek and Wichs [ITCS 2015]. This primitive might well be useful elsewhere. ∗Tel-Aviv University and Boston University, canetti@bu.edu. Supported by the Check Point Institute for Information Security, ISF grant 1523/14, and NSF Frontier CNS1413920 and 1218461 grants. †Boston University, chenyl@bu.edu. Supported by NSF grants CNS-1012798, CNS-1012910, CNS1413920 and AF-1218461. Research conducted while at SRI International funded by NSF grant CNS-1421102. ‡MIT, holmgren@mit.edu. Supported by NSF Frontier CNS1413920. §Yale University, SRI, mariana@columbia.edu. Supported by NSF grant CNS-1421102 and DARPA SafeWare.
Platelet-Activating Factor: Its Regulation in Parturition

Early investigations involving platelet-activating factor (PAF) were primarily concerned with the function of this compound in relation to the inflammatory response. It has become increasingly apparent that PAF may play an important role in a number of physiological processes, one of which is reproductive biology. The involvement of PAF has been reported for sperm motility, ovulation, implantation, and fetal lung maturation and parturition (for review 1). A model for parturition was previously proposed to explain the enzymatic basis of the release of arachidonic acid and eicosanoid biosynthesis that occurs during the initiation and maintenance of parturition. In this model the arachidonic acid was released from diacylphosphatidylethanolamine directly by the action of phospholipase A2 and from phosphatidylinositol, the first step being catalyzed by a phospholipase C. Both phospholipases are Ca2+ dependent. The close association between Ca2+ metabolism and mode of action of PAF prompted us to examine the presence of PAF in the amniotic fluid of women at term and in labor. PAF was present in the amniotic fluid of this group of women and in subsequent studies it was shown that the tissue origin was, at least in part, the fetal lung. The PAF concentration increased in fetal lung during maturation. PAF also stimulates glycogen breakdown which is utilized for the synthesis of the glycerophospholipids of surfactant (1).
6 – Soil Food Webs: Detritivory and Microbivory in Soils

Food web ecology has the potential as an integrating concept to unify perspectives in above-ground and below-ground ecology. A typical food web, particularly in arid lands, has 7–8 membered food chains embedded in the food web. By viewing soil systems holistically, including such microfauna as protists, and mesofauna (nematodes), there are ample supplies of biota (food) to enable longer food chains to exist. Thus production efficiencies can be up to 70%. Trophic transfer efficiencies, often thought of as maximal at 10%, can be up to 20%, particularly in such soil “hot spots” as rhizospheres and drilospheres.
Cyberbullying: Prevalence and Predictors Among African American Young Adults

The current study examines cyberbullying and victimization among African American college students who spend large amounts of time on the Internet and using their smartphones. In a survey of 321 Af...
Adaptive Spur Cancellation Technique in All-Digital Phase-Locked Loops

The phenomenon of periodic phase errors (also known as spurs) in phase-locked loops (PLLs) is widely acknowledged and is responsible for posing considerable challenge on development of miniaturized wireless communication devices. The common approach employed today for spur mitigation calls for a digital notch filter within the receive chain, while there is no similar digital scheme for the transmit chain. In addition, this notch filter is not perfect and usually degrades the overall receiver sensitivity. This brief puts forward a novel idea, which is to cancel the spurs inside the PLL such that the local oscillator signal and consequently TX and RX antenna ports become spur-free. The technique is based on a least-mean squares algorithm that features a self-learning capability. The method has been silicon proven in a digital PLL of a transceiver radio test chip realized in a standard nanoscale CMOS technology.
Pennellia brachycarpa (Brassicaceae), a new species from Jujuy, Argentina

Pennellia brachycarpa (Brassicaceae), a new species from the province of Jujuy in northern Argentina, is described and illustrated. The new species is distinguished from other members of the genus by
Abstract PR18: Somatic ERCC2 mutations, nucleotide excision repair (NER) function, and cisplatin response in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC)

ERCC2 is a core member of the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway, a highly conserved and remarkably versatile DNA repair pathway responsible for repairing intrastrand DNA adducts created by genotoxic agents such as UV irradiation and platinum-based chemotherapies. Recent large-scale genomic efforts have shown that somatic ERCC2 missense mutations are present in approximately 20% of all primary muscle-invasive bladder cancers (MIBC). We previously showed that ERCC2 mutations are associated with treatment response and overall survival in MIBC patients treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Initial functional studies on a subset of the observed ERCC2 mutations suggest that the mutations confer loss of normal cellular NER capacity. However, sequencing of additional MIBC cohorts has revealed that mutations occur across the ERCC2 gene, and the functional effects of the majority of these mutations remain unknown. In order to understand the functional landscape of ERCC2 mutations in MIBC, we have developed a high-throughput fluorescence-based assay to test the functional consequences of mutations in ERCC2 and other NER genes on cellular NER capacity. We apply this approach to all observed ERCC2 mutations across three published MIBC cohorts and find that the majority of ERCC2 mutations result in complete or near-complete loss of cellular NER. In addition, by correlating our functional results with available clinical data, we find interesting examples of cases in which ERCC2 status and cisplatin response are decoupled, highlighting the importance of using functional data to complement genomic and clinical endpoints in the search for reliable predictive biomarkers. This abstract is also being presented as Poster A29. Citation Format: Kent Mouw, Jean-Bernard Lazaro, Alexis Damish, Elizaveta Reznichenko, Zoe Frazier, David Liu, Jaegil Kim, Paz Polak, Levi Garraway, Gad Getz, Jonathan Rosenberg, Eliezer Van Allen, Alan D9Andrea. Somatic ERCC2 mutations, nucleotide excision repair (NER) function, and cisplatin response in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on DNA Repair: Tumor Development and Therapeutic Response; 2016 Nov 2-5; Montreal, QC, Canada. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2017;15(4_Suppl):Abstract nr PR18.
Electrochemical and mechanical characterization of a PEG based solid polymer electrolyte for power storage composites (Conference Presentation)

Development of multifunctional materials with power storage and structural capabilities poses many challenges, of which the formulation of a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) with adhesive like properties may be the greatest. This is due to the targeted properties of the SPE, i.e. high ionic mobility combined with high mechanical strength and good adherence to multiple substrates, which are all mostly divergent. To date, gel electrolytes have been used to prove the feasibility of power storage flexible materials. However, mechanically, these materials do not exhibit notable properties. This presentation will discuss the development process and electrochemical and mechanical properties of a PEG based SPE and highlight the remaining challenges to be surmounted for the successful development of a true structural composite material with power storage capabilities.
The Integrative Christian Jurisprudence of John Selden

Seventeenth-century English jurist and legal historian John Selden integrated the three classic schools of jurisprudence - natural law theory, legal positivism, and historical jurisprudence. He defined natural law as a set of fundamental legal principles commanded by God for the creation of a just legal order. He defined positive laws as those rules and procedures created by a just legislature in accordance with both the principles of natural law and the needs of the particular community. And he defined legal history as the account of each community’s legal tradition, which gave expression to natural law and provided limitations on the laws of any given sovereign, even the king himself. Selden’s integrative jurisprudence offered a brilliant defense of the English common law tradition and a skillful interweaving of Jewish legal thought into the Western legal tradition. Selden drew on a robust theology of God: God the creator, who set nature in order and motion in accordance with natural laws; God the law-giver who commands all human creatures to follow the principles of natural law and natural rights; God the judge who called his people to “establish courts of justice” for the protection of justice and mercy in each community; God the covenant-keeper who called his chosen people of Israel to follow the particular commands of the Torah; and God the intellectus agens who guides each good person to self-evident truths, and guides each great legal tradition, most notably the common law, to ever greater approximation of divine justice.
Driving After Hallux Valgus Surgery

Background:The purpose of the study was to determine when patients can safely return to driving after first metatarsal osteotomy for hallux valgus correction.Methods:After institutional review board approval, 60 patients undergoing right first metatarsal osteotomy for hallux valgus correction surgery were recruited prospectively. Patients’ brake reaction time (BRT) was tested at 6 weeks and repeated until patients achieved a passing BRT. A control group of twenty healthy patients was used to establish as passing BRT. Patients were given a novel driver readiness survey to complete.Results:At 6 weeks, 51 of the 60 patients (85%) had BRT less than 0.85 seconds and were considered safe to drive. At 6 weeks, the passing group average was 0.64 seconds. At the 8 weeks, 59 patients (100%) of those who completed the study achieved a passing BRT. Patients that failed at 6 weeks had statistically greater visual analog scale (VAS) pain score and diminished first metatarsophalangeal (MTP) range of motion (ROM). On the...
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) dynamics determine cell fate in the yeast mating response

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the exposure to mating pheromone activates a prototypic mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade and triggers a dose-dependent differentiation response. Whereas a high pheromone dose induces growth arrest and formation of a shmoo-like morphology in yeast cells, lower pheromone doses elicit elongated cell growth. Previous population-level analysis has revealed that the MAPK Fus3 plays an important role in mediating this differentiation switch. To further investigate how Fus3 controls the fate decision process at the single-cell level, we developed a specific translocation-based reporter for monitoring Fus3 activity in individual live cells. Using this reporter, we observed strikingly different dynamic patterns of Fus3 activation in single cells differentiated into distinct fates. Cells committed to growth arrest and shmoo formation exhibited sustained Fus3 activation. In contrast, most cells undergoing elongated growth showed either a delayed gradual increase or pulsatile dynamics of Fus3 activity. Furthermore, we found that chemically perturbing Fus3 dynamics with a specific inhibitor could effectively redirect the mating differentiation, confirming the causative role of Fus3 dynamics in driving cell fate decisions. MAPKs mediate proliferation and differentiation signals in mammals and are therapeutic targets in many cancers. Our results highlight the importance of MAPK dynamics in regulating single-cell responses and open up the possibility that MAPK signaling dynamics could be a pharmacological target in therapeutic interventions.
Degenerately n-Doped Colloidal PbSe Quantum Dots: Band Assignments and Electrostatic Effects.

We present a spectroscopic study of colloidal PbSe quantum dots (QDs) that have been photodoped to introduce excess delocalized conduction-band (CB) electrons. High-quality absorption spectra are obtained for these degenerately doped QDs with excess electron concentrations up to ∼1020 cm–3. At the highest doping levels, electrons have completely filled the 1Se orbitals of the CB and partially populated the higher-energy 1Pe orbitals. Spectroscopic changes observed as a function of carrier concentration permit an unambiguous assignment of the second excitonic absorption maximum to 1Ph-1Pe transitions. At intermediate doping levels, a clear absorption feature appears between the first two excitonic maxima that is attributable to parity-forbidden 1Sh,e-1Pe,h excitations, which become observable because of electrostatic symmetry breaking. Redshifts of the main excitonic absorption features with increased carrier concentration are also analyzed. The Coulomb stabilization energies of both the 1Sh-1Se and 1Ph-1P...
[Structure of chromatin. I: Levels of DNA organization in the nucleus; nucleosome and chromatin fibres]

This bibliographic review, the first of a series of three on chromatin structure, discusses the current knowledge and hypotheses concerning chromatin organization in nucleosomes and fibers. Presently, the structural features of the chromatin arrangement are better known for the low levels of organization, e.g. nucleosome, but there is much disagreement about levels of organization higher than the 10 nm fiber. The published reports are consistent with the model that, in the nucleosome, the DNA is wrapped around the histone octamer. The histone octamer whose structure and dimensions were investigated for years is viewed today as a tripartite particle with the (H3-H4)2 tetramer flanked by two H2A-H2B dimers. In the chromatosome, two turns of DNA around of the histone octamer are sealed by the histone H1 that binds DNA at the points of entry and exit. A chain of nucleosomes, each with about 200 bp associated DNA, forms a 10 nm fiber with a DNA packing ratio of 6-7. The 10 nm fiber is then condensed into a 30 nm fiber, likely of solenoid structure, that is stabilized by histone H1. All the different models proposed for the structure of the 30 nm fiber are consistent with a DNA packing ratio of 35-40.
Are encoding/retrieval interactions in recall driven by remembering, knowing, or both?

Abstract Reinstating encoding conditions at retrieval typically enhances recall and recognition, but are encoding/retrieval interactions driven by remembering, knowing, or both? To address this question, we used the remember/know paradigm in two cued recall experiments that varied the match between encoding and retrieval conditions. Participants studied words with associate or rhyme cues and were tested with associate or rhyme cues, resulting in two match and two mismatch conditions. In both experiments, recall was generally higher in the match conditions relative to the mismatch conditions, especially with associate cues. We assessed retrieval experience by asking participants to judge whether they remembered, knew or guessed each word they recalled. We estimated recollection and familiarity from these responses, and we found that both processes contribute to increased recall when encoding and retrieval conditions match. Thus, both recollection and familiarity contribute to successful retrieval with powerful retrieval cues.
Variation in use of palliative care services in advanced colorectal cancers.

e15016Background: Palliative care services have been shown to have many benefits in patients with advanced colorectal cancers. However, it is unclear what factors drive variation in use of palliati...
Hardware Constructions for Error Detection of Number-Theoretic Transform Utilized in Secure Cryptographic Architectures

Polynomial multiplication is one of the most rigorous arithmetic construction of postquantum cryptosystems. Utilizing number-theoretic transformations, the product of such multiplication can be efficiently computed in quasi-linear time $O(n.lgn)$ . Error detection schemes of number-theoretic transform (NTT) architectures are essential to ensure correct mathematical operations, improved security, and thwart active side-channel attacks mounted through faults. NTT is not only significant to post-quantum cryptosystems, but the structure is also valuable to the already existing security protocols, e.g., signature schemes, hash functions, and the like. This paper, for the first time, introduces new error detection schemes of NTT architectures, successfully detecting both permanent and transient faults. Our schemes are based on recomputing with negated, scaled, and swapped operands. We have implemented the proposed schemes on the application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Performance and implementation metrics on this hardware platform show acceptable hardware overhead. As our schemes provide acceptable complexity and high efficiency, they can be utilized in compact hardware implementations of constrained applications, e.g., deeply embedded architectures.
Law in American History (Chapter 3)

This is Chapter Three of Law in American History: Volume One, From the Colonial Years Through the Civil War.The book’s purpose is to explore the relationship of law to some central themes of American history from the initial colonial settlements through the conclusion of the Civil War. The themes singled out in the book include the displacement of Amerindian tribes from land they occupied on the North American continent; the emergence of agricultural householding as the principal form of family life in colonial British America; the detachment of the American colonies from the British Empire and the theories of sovereignty and grievance that accompanied that development; the evolution of American forms of government from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution; the emergence of the Supreme Court of the United States as a major institution of American grievance; the westward movement of enterprise and population in the decades between the 1830’s and the 1850’s; the central role of slavery and westward expansion and the gradual dissolution of the Union during these decades; and the role of the Civil War as a culmination of the central themes of early American history and as a force in transforming the subsequent course of that history.
A comparison between native and non-native speech for automatic speech recognition

This study investigates differences in sentence and story production between native and non-native speakers of English for use with a system of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR). Previous studies have shown that production errors by non-native speakers of English include misproduced segments (Flege, 1995), longer pause duration (Anderson-Hsieh and Venkatagiri, 1994), abnormal pause location within clauses (Kang, 2010), and non-reduction of function words (Jang, 2009). The present study uses phonemically balanced sentences from TIMIT (Garofolo et al., 1993) and a story to provide an additional comparison of the differences in production by native and non-native speakers of English. Consistent with previous research, preliminary results suggest that non-native speakers of English fail to produce flaps and reduced vowels, insert or delete segments, engage in more self-correction, and place pauses in different locations from native speakers. Non-native English speakers furthermore produce different patterns of intonation from native speakers and produce errors indicative of transfer from their L1 phonology, such as coda deletion and vowel epenthesis. Native speaker productions also contained errors, the majority of which were content-related. These results indicate that difficulties posed by English ASR systems in recognizing non-native speech are due largely to the heterogeneity of non-native production.
Synthesis of Tetrahydroxyquinolizidines: Ring-Expanded Analogs of the Mannosidase Inhibitor Swainsonine

The indolizidine azasugar swainsonine (1) is an important inhibitor of mannosidase II and has shown antitumor and immunomodulatory activity. A comparison of the structure of swainsonine and d-mannopyranose shows that swainsonine lacks the C(4) hydroxymethine group of mannose. Ring-expanded quinolizidine analogs 4 of swainsonine were prepared where the “missing” hydroxymethine group was incorporated into the pyrrolidine ring of swainsonine between C(1) and C(8a). The quinolizidine analogs 4 resemble both d-mannopyranose and the related azasugar deoxymannojirimycin, a selective inhibitor of the glycoprotein processing enzyme mannosidase I. d-Arabinose was converted into the ω-halo azidoalkene 13, which was subjected to thermolysis, a strategy which had been successful in an earlier synthesis of swainsonine itself. Rather than the desired quinolizidine 4, the pyridinium ion 16 was produced. An alternate synthesis of all four C(9)/C(9a) diastereomers of 4 was developed which relied on the reductive double-alk...
Mathematics Student Teachers’ Views and Choices about Teaching and Textbooks in Middle and High School Classrooms

A survey of 80 United States middle and high school mathematics student teachers gathered data on availability and use of textbooks and traditional and technology-supported instructional strategies. Findings about textbooks include (1) most classrooms had one or more textbook formats (print, digital or e-textbook) available but did not necessarily expect students to use the textbook; (2) some differences were noted when comparisons were made based on school location, size, and grade level; and (3) student teachers preferred the digital textbook format but there was also support for the print format. Analysis of student teachers’ self-reported use of instructional strategies, including a principal component analysis, revealed use of traditional teaching strategies and student-centered teaching. Student teachers’ views about how best to teach mathematics centered on themes of active learning and ways to meet students’ needs.
A machine learning based approach to identify SQL injection vulnerabilities

This paper presents a machine learning classifier designed to identify SQL injection vulnerabilities in PHP code. Both classical and deep learning based machine learning algorithms were used to train and evaluate classifier models using input validation and sanitization features extracted from source code files. On ten-fold cross validations a model trained using Convolutional Neural Network(CNN) achieved the highest precision (95.4%), while a model based on Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) achieved the highest recall (63.7%) and the highest fmeasure (0.746).
In-sensor time-domain classifiers using pseudo sigmoid activation functions

Abstract This work presents an ultra-low-power classifier that can be integrated within energy-constrained bio-sensors to enable rapid analysis for continuous health monitoring. The in-sensor classifier saves significant transmission energy by extracting critical information locally to eliminate the need of transmitting raw data to centralized servers for remote signal processing. The convolutional-neural-network (CNN)-based classifier is built by using reconfigurable delay-locked loops (DLLs) to carry out classification algorithms with time-domain multiply-accumulate (MAC) operations. Pseudo sigmoid activation functions are realized by regenerative comparators that transform weighted timing to probabilities. The presented classifier achieves low-power consumption of 240.34 nW while performing up to 20 k operations per second. The proposed time-domain classifier reduces the energy to 36% of the previous works.
Ab initio investigation of α- and ζ-V2O5 for beyond lithium ion battery cathodes

Abstract Mono- (Li/Na), di- (Mg/Ca) and trivalent (Al) ion intercalation is investigated in the α and ζ phases of V2O5. Density functional theory is used to calculate the physical and electronic properties of each in the context of secondary battery cathodes. Various exchange-correlation functionals and van der Waals correction schemes are employed in calculating lattice parameters, bandgaps, density of states, cell voltages, and ion diffusion barriers. For intercalations of similar charge transfer (i.e., Li0.67, Na0.67, Mg0.33, Ca0.33, and Al0.20), Ca provides the highest voltage (2.95 V) in α-V2O5 with both PBE and PBE-D3. However, Li/Na yields the highest voltage (3.50 V/3.69 V) in ζ-V2O5 for PBE/PBE-D3. Monovalent ion diffusion barriers are calculated and show that Li and Na possess barriers of 0.39/0.32 eV and 1.27/1.09 eV in α/ζ-V2O5, respectively. A full voltage profile for Na intercalation in each phase determined the initial voltage in ζ-V2O5 (4.00 V) is higher than that in α-V2O5 (3.4 V), but lacks in specific capacity (168 mAhg−1 versus 235 mAhg−1). With a high diffusion barrier and low specific capacity, ζ-V2O5's utility as a sodium ion battery is bleak. However, both phases show promise for a lithium ion battery application.
The Effects of Incorporating Non-linearity in LCA: Characterizing the Impact on Human Health

Processes that govern environmental mechanisms including fate, transport, and exposure are generally non-linear. Characterization models in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA), however, often linearize such processes, while the implications of linearizing non-linear processes have not been fully understood. Recently, non-linear models have been incorporated into characterization modeling, allowing the opportunity for a comparison. Here, we test potential effects of incorporating three types of non-linear processes into life cycle assessment (LCA): emission rate, environmental fate, and exposure-response. We compare the characterized results of human health impact due to non-cancer effects using (1) USEtox, a conventional, steady-state model and (2) the CLiCC suite, which employs dynamic emissions profiles, non-steady state fate and transport, and no-effect exposure thresholds. Under constant emission rates, the two approaches display comparable results over a long period of time. When significant temporal variations are introduced to emission rates, however, the results from the two approaches start to deviate. On the one hand, pulse emissions averaged over time tend to show lower human health impacts under USEtox as compared to CLiCC suite, as the level of exposure shortly after the pulse emission temporarily shifts the dose-response regime to a steeper territory in the curve. On the other hand, USEtox, in the absence of no-effect exposure thresholds, tends to show higher human health impacts compared to CLiCC suite for low-level emissions with little temporal variation. Our results call for a careful interpretation of characterized results, especially when the emissions are known to exhibit large temporal variations.
Living with a Smoker and Physical Inactivity across Eight Years in High-Risk Medical Patients

Recent research has demonstrated a link between living with a smoker and physical inactivity. However, no research has examined this issue in the context of recovery in medical patients. The presen...
Well Leaders Lead Well: How to Create and Sustain a Culture of Wellness During COVID-19

The epidemic of physician burnout and the pandemic of COVID-19 are making each other worse. The effects of the current situation, unless leaders step up, will devastate caregivers and the patients they serve. Professional fulfillment of physicians, we assert, is the best way to measure success and failure in battle. We propose a model of holistic wellness — involving not just self-care but also health in relationships, teams, organizations, and communities. This paper proposes a new model of leadership to assess the level of wellness across these dimensions, and, with respect and humility, how to lead one’s self and others to higher levels of professional fulfillment, which will benefit doctors, teams, organizations, and the patients they serve.
LB767 A multicenter analysis of patients using telemedicine for dermatological conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic caused medical facilities to modify healthcare delivery and incorporate more telemedicine to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Multicenter studies assessing the impact of telemedicine in dermatology remains sparse. The aim of this study was to quantify the national impact of the pandemic on telemedicine utilization for common dermatologic conditions. A descriptive study was done using TriNetX, a national federated real time database of 69 million records. ICD-10 codes of the most common dermatologic diagnoses were determined a priori. The prevalence of common dermatologic conditions diagnosed via telemedicine encounters (TME) was assessed from 3/20/2020 to 3/19/2021 and compared to the preceding year. The number of TME across all dermatological conditions (ICD10:L00-L99) increased 805% from 150 to 1,358 per 100,000 of all healthcare encounters (HCE). Every dermatological disease assessed had a significant increase in TME when compared to the prior year. This increase was most significant for acne vulgaris (808%), psoriasis (792%), malignant skin neoplasms (716%), atopic dermatitis (609%), rosacea (566%) and contact dermatitis (529%). Others with increased TME include viral warts (497%), follicular cysts (415%), seborrheic keratosis (365%), actinic keratosis (351%), and benign skin neoplasms (275%). The most common dermatologic conditions seen via TME were seborrheic keratosis (146/100,000 HCE), actinic keratosis (106), malignant skin neoplasms (103), contact dermatitis (82), psoriasis (75), acne vulgaris (57), follicular cysts (48), benign skin neoplasms (42), atopic dermatitis (39), rosacea (39), and viral warts (31). Common dermatological diagnoses saw a drastic increase in telemedicine utilization from 2020 to 2021 compared to the prior year. Further research is warranted to determine whether these trends persist.
COVID-19 Presenting as Encephalopathy in the Emergency Department: A Case Report

Introduction The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiology of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, has proven to be an era-defining illness with profound impact on patients and healthcare providers alike. By nearly all measures, daily cases and deaths are growing on a global scale despite conscious infection control efforts. As the medical community strives to better understand the pathogenesis of COVID-19, it has become increasingly appreciated that this "respiratory virus" can present clinically with a wide range of signs and symptoms not necessarily confined to the respiratory system. Case report Specifically, the central nervous system has been described as the presenting complaint of COVID-19, including anosmia and headaches and, more rarely, meningitis. This clinical case highlights the presentation of a 52-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with altered mental status and fever, ultimately attributed to COVID-19 infection. Conclusion This case serves to add to the growing body of evidence surrounding the potentially severe neuropathologic capabilities of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Inhibitory Effect of Nisin upon Various Organisms

Summary Two nisin-producing strains of Streptococcus lactis were found to vary in their ability to produce the antibiotic. In the milk medium containing 5% of nisin-broth, cell multiplication and acid production of two strains of Streptococcus thermophilus were delayed, but upon further incubation their total cell count and acid production were not affected appreciably. Nisin-broth did not inhibit three strains of S. lactis , two strains of Lactobacillus bulgaricus , two strains of S. thermophilus , a mixed lactic culture, and one strain each of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus . Nisin was not quite as inhibitory as several other antibiotics against the dairy cultures tested. Of 11 strains of Staphylococcus aureus Used, the antibiotic seemed to be active only against the coagulase-negative and weak coagulase-producing organisms. The data presented in this paper indicate that the antibiotic may be considered for use to inhibit certain staphylococci or lactic organisms. Additional work should be conducted to determine the applications of nisin and nisin-producing organisms in the dairy industry.
Book review: Hurley, M. M., Dennett, D. C. & Adams, R. B., Jr. (2011). Inside Jokes: Using Humor to Reverse-Engineer the Mind. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 376 pp.

A book review of Inside Jokes: Using Humor to Reverse - Engineer the Mind . by M. M. Hurley, D. C. Dennett, & R. B. Adams, Jr. Cambridge, MA. MIT Press. 2011
Real world dehiscence rates for patients undergoing abdominoperineal resection with or without myocutaneous flap closure in the national surgical quality improvement project

Perineal wound complications cause significant morbidity following abdominoperineal resection (APR). Myocutaneous flap closure may mitigate perineal wound complications though data is limited outside of specialized oncologic centers. We aim to compare rates of wound dehiscence in patients undergoing APR with and without flap closure. All patients undergoing APR in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program between 2005 and 2013 were included. Thirty-day rate of wound dehiscence and other perioperative outcomes were compared between the flap and non-flap cohorts. Subgroup analysis was performed for propensity score-matched cohorts and those receiving neoadjuvant radiation. Seven thousand two hundred and five patients underwent non-emergent APR [527 (7 %) flap vs. 6678 (93 %) non-flap]. Wound dehiscence occurred in 224 patients [38 (7 %) flap vs. 186 (3 %) non-flap] with 84/224 (38 %) of these reoperated. Reoperation was more common in flap patients [15 vs. 8 %; p = 0.001]. Overall morbidity was higher in flap closure [38 % flap vs. 31 % non-flap; p < 0.001]. Dehiscence was higher for flap closure in the propensity score-matched cohort [7 vs. 3 %; p < 0.001]. Flap closure was an independent predictor of dehiscence for both the overall and propensity score-matched groups. Dehiscence was not increased in patients who had neoadjuvant radiation [5.4 % flap vs. 2.6 % non-flap; p = 0.127]. This represents the largest study of flap vs. non-flap closure following APR and the first such study from a national database. Flap closure was independently associated with increased risk of wound dehiscence in both the overall and matched cohorts. This study highlights the challenge of wound complications following APR and provides real-world generalizable data.
Disaster preparedness: hospital decontamination and the pediatric patient--guidelines for hospitals and emergency planners

In recent years, attention has been given to disaster preparedness for first responders and first receivers (hospitals). One such focus involves the decontamination of individuals who have fallen victim to a chemical agent from an attack or an accident involving hazardous materials. Children often are overlooked in disaster planning. Children are vulnerable and have specific medical and psychological requirements. There is a need to develop specific protocols to address pediatric patients who require decontamination at the entrance of hospital emergency departments. Currently, there are no published resources that meet this need. An expert panel convened by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene developed policies and procedures for the decontamination of pediatric patients. The panel was comprised of experts from a variety of medical and psychosocial areas. Using an iterative process, the panel created guidelines that were approved by the stakeholders and are presented in this paper. These guidelines must be utilized, studied, and modified to increase the likelihood that they will work during an emergency situation. Language: en
Expression of Ixodes scapularis antifreeze glycoprotein enhances cold tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster experience cold shock injury and die when exposed to low non-freezing temperatures. In this study, we generated transgenic D. melanogaster that express putative Ixodes scapularis antifreeze glycoprotein (IAFGP) and show that the presence of IAFGP increases the ability of flies to survive in the cold. Male and female adult iafgp-expressing D. melanogaster exhibited higher survival rates compared with controls when placed at non-freezing temperatures. Increased hatching rates were evident in embryos expressing IAFGP when exposed to the cold. The TUNEL assay showed that flight muscles from iafgp-expressing female adult flies exhibited less apoptotic damage upon exposure to non-freezing temperatures in comparison to control flies. Collectively, these data suggest that expression of iafgp increases cold tolerance in flies by preventing apoptosis. This study defines a molecular basis for the role of an antifreeze protein in cryoprotection of flies.
Treatment of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck with concurrent bleomycin and external beam radiation therapy

Abstract Nineteen patients with advanced head and neck cancer were treated with bleomycin (15u BM and irradiation (180 rad, 5d/week, 5040 rad) and have analyzed the effects. Most patients went on to further radical treatment. Both epithelial toxicity and tumor regression seemed enhanced. Approaching 1 year minimum follow-up (2 years maximum) crude survival is 68% and disease-free survival is 57%. Late complications do not seem to be enhanced. Regression in advanced nodal disease was less impressive.
Disparity in access to cataract surgical services leads to higher prevalence of blindness in women as compared with men: results of a national survey of visual impairment.

Aim: The aim of the survey was to estimate the prevalence and determinants of visual impairment and blindness in Botswana 50 years and older and assess access to cataract surgical services. Method: a multistage cluster randomized sampling with probability proportional to size was used to select a cross-sectional nationally representative sample of 2,662 subjects. The distance visual acuity was measured and the lens examined for cataracts in each subject. Where pinholes did not improve vision to 6/18 or better, fundus examination was done after mydriasis. Blindness was defined as vision <3/60 and visual impairment as <6/18 to 3/60 in the better eye with available correction. Results: Two thousand one hundred twenty-seven eligible subjects were examined (79.9%). Age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of blindness and severe visual impairment was 3.69% (95% CI: 2.38%−5.00%) and 1.69% (95% CI: 1.04%−2.33%), respectively. Cataracts were the main cause of blindness (46.9%), and severe (58.9%) and moderate (40.2%) vis...
Sodium fluoroacetate diabetes: correlations between glycemia, ketonemia and tissue citrate levels.

IN A previous report (Engel, Hewson and Cole, 1954) it was shown that the administration of sodium fluoroacetate (SFA) to the fasted rat resulted in the development of a striking hyperglycemia and ketonemia beginning in a few hours and most apparent in 24 hours. However, no observations were made beyond the latter time. The ketonemia and hyperglycemia were explained in terms of primary and secondary responses to the block in the tricarboxylic acid cycle caused by the SFA. Ketonemia, thus, was considered a consequence of failure of oxidation of acetate as well as of acetoacetate itself with resultant accumulation of the latter compound. The hyperglycemia was interpreted as secondary to a decrease in hexokinase activity resulting from a declining supply of high energy phosphate from the impaired Krebs cycle. In addition the possibility was considered that Krebs cycle blockade might interfere specifically with insulin synthesis by the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans and hence insulin deficiency might ...
P205 Type I uterine cancer in US-born Asians versus immigrant Asians

Background We investigated type I endometrioid uterine cancer in US-born Asians versus immigrant Asians. Methods Data was obtained from the National Cancer Institute from 2001 to 2009. Chi squared, t-test, and binomial regression methods were used for statistical analyses. Findings Of 4834 Asians with uterine cancer, 62% were born in the USA and 38% were immigrants. 2972 (61%) had type I uterine cancer (grade 1 or 2, endometrioid histology) and the remaining women had type II disease. Compared with patients with type II disease (grade 3, clear cell and serous histology), type I patients were younger (age 55 versus 59 years; p Interpretation US-born Asians are more likely to be diagnosed with type I uterine cancer than immigrant Asians.
Aggressive Surgical Management of Testicular Carcinoma Metastatic to Lungs and Mediastinum

During the past six years, more than 200 patients were treated with chemotherapy for disseminated testicular cancer with a 70% complete remission rate. In 22 patients who were 17 to 46 years old, there was persistent thoracic disease, which was treated surgically. Six required a median sternotomy for bilateral pulmonary involvement or mediastinal metastasis. In 8 patients, chemotherapy had altered the histological appearance of the metastases from that of an undifferentiated primary tumor to a mature cystic teratoma. Five patients had nodules in the lungs, which were necrotic and fibrosed with no evidence of tumor. Nine showed embryonal cell carcinoma metastases in the lungs. All who had cystic teratoma are alive and free from disease. Three of the 5 with nodules and 1 of the 9 with metastases are currently free from disease. Agressive surgical intervention is important in this unique group of patients in order to determine the precise pathological category of the lesions, to remove intrathoracic malignancy, and to assess the need for additional chemotherapy. An operative mortality of zero and a low morbidity justify this approach.
Beyond predictable workflows: enhancing productivity in artful business processes

Until now, the greatest productivity gains in business processes have been achieved by formalizing the processes into computer-managed workflows. However, many processes have not yielded to this approach, and in its stead, users have depended on ad hoc collaboration tools, such as e-mail and instant messaging, to coordinate their work. While undeniably useful, these tools are disconnected from process methods and can become overloaded and unproductive. Through use cases, we show that many business people are, of necessity, integrators of information technology (IT), but receive inadequate support from centralized IT. We maintain that productivity will be increased by better enabling users to select and integrate IT services as their needs evolve, promoting a shift that we call the democratization of process. With the organizing principles of activity-centric computing and the arrival of valuable online services and decentralized methods for integrating them into existing applications, such a shift is now becoming technically feasible-a goal that enterprises should pursue.
On Past and Future of Community: A Pragmatic Analysis

Charles Sanders Peirce proposed a semiotic that directed attention to the person or people who are providing interpretation, making place for the social and cultural. Following Peirce, we consider the meanings and consequences the term “community” has in an international context. We argue that English affords a richer set of meanings to community, which was not paralleled in the languages of Southeast Asia. The encounter between English and Southeast Asian languages has lexical consequences, but more momentous are the cultural changes they index. In Southeast Asian cultures, there is less need for “community” to take on broader meanings, since those cultures assume social relationality. Thus, the spread of English “community” could be associated with a rise of individualism in these other cultures, but it could also impoverish the Anglophone West, which would be denied alternative frameworks in which associational and affective meanings of community are unnecessary.
Drop-Size Distributions Associated with Intense Rainfall

Abstract The probability of occurrence of extreme rainfall rates is reviewed. The drop-size distributions associated with a range of high rainfall rates are examined using data from tropical storms and hurricanes. Mean drop-size distributions are presented for a range of high rainfall rates, as well as a Γ-distribution fit to the entire set of normalized drop-size distributions. This fit forms the basis for a model drop-size distribution for intense rain. The goodness of fit of the model is examined by comparing it with independent drop-camera measurements of high-rain-rate distributions from several geographic locations. The slope of exponential fits to the distributions are examined for constancy with rainfall rate, and are generally found to decrease with increasing rainfall rate.