cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Floorplanning 1024 cores in a 3D-stacked networkon- chip with thermal-aware redistribution

As the performance of a processing system is to be significantly enhanced, on-chip many-core architecture plays an indispensable role. Explorations of a suitable three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D IC) with through-silicon via (TSV) to realize a large number of processing units and highly dense interconnects certainly attract the attention. However, the combination of processors, memories, and/or sensors in a die stack leads to the cooling problem in a tottering situation. Consequently, a thermal solution which has a high heat removing rate seems unavoidable. The floorplan and routing of the chip should be rearranged after the thermal solution is performed. By utilizing the thermal ridge, the routing spaces between hot core-groups (CGs) need to be expanded until they cannot affect each other. Under the constraint of 20% area overhead for the thermal ridges, we place the thermal ridges with different densities of thermal TSVs between the hottest CGs on the chip. For a 1024-core network on chip (NoC) design studied in this paper, the maximum temperature decreases from 408 K to 372 K, and the temperature nonuniformity is improved from 3.8 K/cm to 0.5∼1.5 K/cm. This means that the temperature difference between two neighboring CGs is less than 0.06 K. Compared with micro-fluidic cooling channel, the proposed thermal ridge scheme is much more costeffective and easy to implement.
Multi-operand modulo addition using carry save adders

The authors compare two approaches for computing S= Sigma /sub i//sup k//sub =1/, X/sub i/ (mod N) using carry save adders. The biased addition technique keeps the partial carry and sum vectors C+S biased by p=2/sup n/-N where n=log/sub 2/ N. The sign estimation technique proposed computes the sign of C+S-N using a 2-bit carry look-ahead logic. The sign estimation algorithm restricts the partial sum to a smaller range, and thus, performs the final reduction faster than the biased addition algorithm.
The Socialist Polis: Antiquity and Socialism in Marx's Thought

The central question guiding this essay is: what does Marx's socialism owe to classical antiquity? Underlying this question is the thesis that Marx's studies of classical Greece supply the angle of vision necessary to bring to light the hallmark of his conception of the socialist polity. The argument challenges a widespread interpretation of the connection between antiquity and socialism in Marx's work-that his socialist vision takes its bearings from the Aristotelian understanding of the relationship between necessity and leisure. In Marx's view, the fundamental legacy of antiquity was the notion of freedom as masterlessness. The roots of this legacy are in the political experience of the democratic polis, not in Aristotle's reflections on the ideal household. The core of Marx's project, then, is not to open a realm of freedom beyond necessity, but rather to create spaces for democratic action within the realm of necessity itself, to ensure that work is free and compatible with leisured activities.
Exploiting APC Function as a Novel Cancer Therapy

The Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) tumor suppressor is most commonly mutated in colorectal cancers such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP); as well as many other epithelial cancers like breast, pancreatic, and lung cancer. APC mutations usually result in a truncated form of the protein lacking the carboxy-terminal region resulting in loss of function. Mutations in APC have been identified in early stages of cancer development making it a gatekeeper of tumor progression and therefore an ideal therapeutic target. APC is best known for its role as a negative regulator of the Wnt/β -catenin pathway. However, APC also mediates several other normal cell functions independently of Wnt/β-catenin signaling such as apical-basal polarity, microtubule networks, cell cycle, DNA replication and repair, apoptosis, and cell migration. Given the vast cellular processes involving APC, the loss of these "normal" functions due to mutation can contribute to chemotherapeutic resistance. Several therapeutic treatments have been explored to restore APC function including the reintroduction of APC into mutant cells, inhibiting pathways activated by the loss of APC, and targeting APCmutant cells for apoptosis. This review will discuss the normal functions of APC as they relate to potential treatments for patients, the role of APC loss in several types of epithelial cancers, and an overview of therapeutic options targeting both the Wnt-dependent and -independent functions of APC.
Improved lower limits on neutral fermion masses

Present lower limits on the mass of a neutral fermion N coupled with full strength to an electron via the right-handed weak current are set only by the absence of the decay K/sup +/ ..-->.. Ne/sup +/: m(N) approximately greater than 0.5 GeV/c/sup 2/. It is shown that searches for the decays tau ..-->.. ..nu../sub tau/Ne or F ..-->.. Ne, followed by N ..-->.. e..pi.., can raise the lower bound on m(N) to well over 1 GeV/c/sup 2/ if no signal is seen in present or soon-to-be-acquired data. Estimates for the branching ratios for these processes are given. If N couples to e cos phi + ..mu.. sin phi with full strength, reference to phi may be eliminated by summing over e and ..mu.. in all final states.
What are the contraindications for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Acute cholecystitis, morbid obesity, and previous upper abdominal surgery have been reported as relative contraindications to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. An analysis of 706 laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed at our institution was undertaken to determine if these relative contraindications led to increased morbidity, an increased rate of conversion to the open technique, or longer operating time. One hundred ninety-seven patients demonstrated one or more relative contraindications to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Morbidity was not increased in patients with these risk factors, but conversion to open cholecystectomy was required in a greater percentage of patients with acute cholecystitis. We favor an attempt at laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with these risk factors; however, they should be counseled as to the increased risk of conversion to open cholecystectomy in the presence of acute cholecystitis.
Microvascular Structural Correlates of Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease and Left Ventricular Dysfunction Implications for the Assessment of Myocardial Hibernation

Background— Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) has been used to evaluate myocardial viability. There are no data, however, on the pathological determinants of myocardial perfusion by MCE in humans and the implications of such determinants. Methods and Results— MCE was performed in 20 patients with coronary artery disease and ventricular dysfunction within 24 hours before myocardial biopsy at surgery using a continuous Optison infusion (12 to 16 cc/h), with intermittent pulse inversion harmonics and incremental triggering. Peak myocardial contrast intensity (MCI) and the rate of increase in MCI (β) were quantitated. Thirty-six transmural myocardial biopsies (2 per patient) were obtained by transesophageal echocardiography. Total microvascular (<100 μm) density, capillary density and area, arteriolar and venular density, and percent collagen content were quantitated with immunohistochemistry. Peak MCI correlated with microvascular density (r=0.59, P<0.001) and capillary area (r=0.64, P<0.001) and in...
Basic mechanisms of generation and flow of harmonic signals in balanced and unbalanced three-phase power systems

In this paper, the basic mechanisms of generation and flow of harmonic signals in electric power networks are discussed. With regard to generation, the unbalanced operating condition of a sixpulse converter is studied. Guidelines which are applicable in the general case are obtained. With regard to flow of harmonic signals, a new relationship between distortion voltamperes (D) and total harmonic distortion (THD) is derived. This relationship is very similar to the P/? and Q/|V| relations which are well know in electric power flow studies.
Can we reliably predict long-term mortality after exercise testing? An external validation.

Objective The aim of the study was to derive and externally validate a mortality prediction rule for patients undergoing exercise testing. Background The prognostic value of exercise testing is increasingly appreciated. However, global prognosis estimates ideally should account for numerous routinely obtained variables, including demographics, risk factors, resting electrocardiogram, and multiple exercise test measures. Methods A prediction rule was derived by parametric hazards modeling on a derivation set of 46047 Cleveland Clinic patients (age 55 ± 11 years, 67% male) who had no history of heart failure, valve disease, or atrial fibrillation. Twenty-two variables covering demographics, risk factors, exercise hemodynamics, and electrocardiogram findings at rest and during exercise were considered. The resulting model included 16 variables and was tested on 4981 patients (age 50 ± 12 years, 55% male) who underwent exercise testing at West Virginia University. Results In the derivation cohort there were 3173 deaths during a mean of 7 years of follow-up, whereas in the validation cohort there were 180 deaths during a mean of 5 years of follow-up. Comparisons of predicted and observed death rates showed very good agreement among all patients across all spectrums of risk, as well as among prespecified high-risk subgroups. Model discrimination was also good, with c statistic of c = 0.79 in the derivation group and c = 0.81 in the validation cohort. Conclusions We have externally validated a mortality prediction rule for patients undergoing exercise testing and confirmed its accuracy among a wide spectrum of patients.
Molten Salt Promoting Effect in Double Salt CO2 Absorbents

NaNO3 and other alkali nitrate salts, which are present in the molten state during use, have been described as facilitators or catalysts for CO2 absorption by both MgO and MgO-containing double salts. Although MgO exhibits a high capacity (exceeding 70 wt %), its regenerability in multicycle tests shows a significant loss of capacity with cycle number prior to lining out. On the other hand, the MgO–Na2CO3 double salt shows a lower (∼16 wt %) but stable capacity over multiple cycles under pressure swing operation. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the concept of molten salts as catalysts for CO2 absorption by MgO, and extend these observations to the MgO-containing double salt oxides. We will show that the phenomena involved with CO2 absorption by MgO and MgO-based double salts are similar and general, but with some important differences. This paper focuses on the following key concepts: (i) identification of conditions that favor or disfavor participation of isolated MgO during double salt abso...
White Paper in Support of the Nation Building Here at Home Act of 2012

This white paper provides argumentation and data in support of the Nation Building Here at Home Act of 2012, an infrastructure investment statute introduced in the 112th Congress, 2d Session by Congressman Brian Higgins, 27th District of New York. It shows that the investment program instituted by the Act will significantly boost domestic employment, economic growth, and federal revenue, and in so doing will be partly self-financing. Moreover, in view of presently idle capacity, low borrowing costs, and the cost acceleration attributes of much of the crumbling infrastructure that the bill addresses, the program offers significant opportunity cost savings in respect of projects about which all agree that the question is not whether, but when they are to be undertaken. Add to this the sizable life, limb, and efficiency gains brought to the private sector by the planned public infrastructure-modernization, and the case for the statute is plain. Appendices include the statute itself and the macroeconomic numbers on which the case for it is partly based.
Gut microbiota in autism and mood disorders

The hypothesis of an important role of gut microbiota in the maintenance of physiological state into the gastrointestinal (GI) system is supported by several studies that have shown a qualitative and quantitative alteration of the intestinal flora in a number of gastrointestinal and extra-gastrointestinal diseases. In the last few years, the importance of gut microbiota impairment in the etiopathogenesis of pathology such as autism, dementia and mood disorder, has been raised. The evidence of the inflammatory state alteration, highlighted in disorders such as schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, strongly recalls the microbiota alteration, highly suggesting an important role of the alteration of GI system also in neuropsychiatric disorders. Up to now, available evidences display that the impairment of gut microbiota plays a key role in the development of autism and mood disorders. The application of therapeutic modulators of gut microbiota to autism and mood disorders has been experienced only in experimental settings to date, with few but promising results. A deeper assessment of the role of gut microbiota in the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as the advancement of the therapeutic armamentarium for the modulation of gut microbiota is warranted for a better management of ASD and mood disorders.
Abstract 2906: Towards breast cancer drug repurposing based on a pathway modeling approach.

Molecular connectivity maps between drugs and proteins in specific disease contexts, especially breast cancer, can be particularly valuable, offering an opportunity to gain global perspectives on both the therapeutic and toxicological profiles of drugs. To assess drug pharmacological effects, we assume that “ideal” drugs for a patient can treat or prevent disease by modulating gene expression profiles of the patient to the similar level with those in healthy people. Starting from this hypothesis, we build comprehensive disease-gene-drug connectivity relationships with drug-protein directionality (inhibit/activate) information based on a computational connectivity maps (CMaps) platform. In this work, we develop a novel approach based on integrative pathway modeling using breast cancer as a case study. We identify and rank breast cancer related drugs/compounds with their overall drug-protein “connectivity map” profile. First, we retrieve breast cancer associated proteins through the CMaps platform by using breast cancer as a query term. Second, we retrieve breast cancer related pathways by using breast cancer associated proteins as input and searching in the Human Pathway Database (HPD), PAGED, and the PubMed. Third, we integrate the breast cancer related pathways into unified pathway models, from which we categorize the pharmaceutical effects of candidate drugs on all breast cancer associated proteins as either “therapeutic” or “toxic”. Expression values are given to all relevant proteins on the pathway. Potential drugs and targets are retrieved from C-Map, DrugBank, and MetaDrug. Finally, we transform the integrated pathway into network models and rank drugs based on the network topological features of drug targets, drug-affecting genes/proteins, and curated disease-associated proteins. The case studies correlated very well with the known pharmacological profiles of cancer drugs, highlighting the significance of the platform that we developed. Ongoing research can potentially change future drug discovery practices. Citation Format: Sara Ibrahim. Towards breast cancer drug repurposing based on a pathway modeling approach. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2906. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2906
Surface Layer Formation During the Chemical Mechanical Polishing of Copper Thin Films

Three chemical processes that occur during the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of copper are described in terms of their effect on surface planarity, polish rate, and corrosion resistance of the polished copper. These processes are surface layer formation, dissolution of mechanically abraded copper, and chemical acceleration of the polish rate. The role of these processes is demonstrated with two slurry formulations used in the CMP of copper at Rensselaer.
Cushing's syndrome. V. Chemical inhibition of 11beta-hydroxylating enzyme systems in hyperplastic and neoplastic adrenal glands.

SummaryAdministration of Su 4885 resulted in inhibition of 11β-hydroxylation within the adrenal cortex in 7 patients with Cushing's syndrome. In 5 patients with adrenal hyperplasia, this resulted in a rise in values of urinary ketogenic steroids whereas in the 2 patients who had adrenal carcinoma no such rise was observed. This difference in the 2 groups of patients is ascribed to the state of adrenal responsiveness to endogenous ACTH.
Subsurface pressure profiling: a novel mathematical paradigm for computing colony pressures on substrate during fungal infections.

Colony expansion is an essential feature of fungal infections. Although mechanisms that regulate hyphal forces on the substrate during expansion have been reported previously, there is a critical need of a methodology that can compute the pressure profiles exerted by fungi on substrates during expansion; this will facilitate the validation of therapeutic efficacy of novel antifungals. Here, we introduce an analytical decoding method based on Biot’s incremental stress model, which was used to map the pressure distribution from an expanding mycelium of a popular plant pathogen, Aspergillus parasiticus. Using our recently developed Quantitative acoustic contrast tomography (Q-ACT) we detected that the mycelial growth on the solid agar created multiple surface and subsurface wrinkles with varying wavelengths across the depth of substrate that were computable with acousto-ultrasonic waves between 50 MHz–175 MHz. We derive here the fundamental correlation between these wrinkle wavelengths and the pressure distribution on the colony subsurface. Using our correlation we show that A. parasiticus can exert pressure as high as 300 KPa on the surface of a standard agar growth medium. The study provides a novel mathematical foundation for quantifying fungal pressures on substrate during hyphal invasions under normal and pathophysiological growth conditions.
Radionuclide-induced skeletal cancers.

Internally incorporated alpha particle-emitting boneseeking radionuclides are potent carcinogens 1 . Plutonium, for example, is one of the most feared compounds known and these are exacerbated by recent terrorism concerns. The transuranium elements neptunium, plutonium, americium, curium, californium and einsteinium are produced in significant amounts in nuclear reactors and constitute long-lived components of nuclear waste. These nuclides are also used in thermoelectric power sources, cardiac pacemakers, smoke detectors, etc. Scientific studies are needed to add clarity to the risk and use of these materials, in addition to furthering our understanding of disease mechanisms associated with human exposures. This information may have substantial influence on public policy decisions (e.g. energy policy) and protection of workers and the public.
Vengeance Is Mine, But Is It Worth Ten Thousand Dollars or Two Years in Jail? Revenge Porn Is Landing Louisianans Behind Bars

YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and text messaging made it increasingly easy for jilted lovers to get revenge on former intimate partners, but Louisiana is fighting back for the victims. The Louisiana legislature enacted Louisiana Revised Statute 14:283.2, nonconsensual disclosure of a private image, and the law came into effect on August 15, 2015. Multiple news outlets have reported arrest in several different parishes throughout Louisiana. This article will address the questions of what is revenge porn and how does Louisiana’s new legislation criminalize the inexcusable act. This new law is simple and this article will break it down by it elements. To be taken from the article is victims of this crime have options other than costly civil remedies. They can now contact local law enforcement to show distributors that vengeance is not theirs and they should be punished for this act. Although, the statute provides for multiple and maybe challenging elements it is still an option that was not available before August 15, 2015.
Assessing Spatial Relationships Between Rates of Crime and Rates of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia in Chicago, 2012.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain serious public health problems particularly in urban environments in the USA. Despite accumulating research into the role of aggregate rates of crime in shaping rates of STIs, few studies account for spatial dependence in the structure of geographical data. Using multiple spatial analysis methodologies, the following study investigated spatial patterns in community area rates of violent, drug, and property crimes and rates of infection of gonorrhea and chlamydia in 77 community areas in Chicago. Moran’s I analyses confirmed global spatial dependence and statistically significant clusters of STI. Spatial lag regression analyses found that greater rates of drug crimes were associated with higher rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea after adjusting for percent in poverty and racial composition. Finally, a weighted geographic regression identified regions in the urban environment in which local regression coefficient values diverged from their global estimates. Spatial heterogeneity of STIs suggest that public health interventions must be targeted to specific areas of the urban environment with particular attention to substance use.
Performance of Direct-Sequence Spread-Spectrum Systems in the Presence of Multiple-Access Interference and Jamming

An approach for calculating upper and lower bounds for the probability of error for asynchronous multiple-access spread-spectrum communication systems employing deterministic codes is presented. The technique is then generalized to include multiple-tone jamming. The approach utilizes the cumulative distribution function of individual interference terms. The computational complexity of the technique is calculated to be polynomial like. Results showing the multiple-access performance of Gold codes of lengths 31 and 127 in the presence of jamming are shown.
Abstract 4666: Revolutionizing clinical care using prospective, institution-wide tumor sequencing

Identification of predictive and prognostic biomarkers is central to clinical oncology. Use of targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) is increasing in molecular diagnostics labs, however the feasibility and impact of its routine application across all tumor types is largely untested. We launched an institution-wide effort to generate targeted NGS data (Oncopanel) for invasive tumors of all consenting patients. We hypothesized that this approach could replace traditional targeted testing, generate robust data on copy number alterations and structural variants, and provide novel patient-specific observations to facilitate clinical trial enrollment. Illumina NGS was performed on libraries prepared with Agilent SureSelect custom-designed hybrid capture of 4430 exons from 275 genes plus selected introns of 30 genes. Results were analyzed by an internally-developed computational pipeline for mutations, small insertions/deletions, copy number variation and rearrangements. Variants were characterized according to predictive, prognostic, or diagnostic actionability. Data is available for the first 4291 cases sequenced. Oncopanel succeeded in 96% of specimens with adequate DNA. In a subset analysis performed on the first 1000 cases, assay success ranged from 83-100% according to tumor type; breast carcinoma was most prone to failure (p Citation Format: Lynette M. Sholl, Elizabeth Garcia, Yonghui Jia, Matthew Ducar, Bernard Fendler, Priyanka Shivdasani, Frank C. Kuo, Azra H. Ligon, Barrett J. Rollins, Neal I. Lindeman, Laura E. MacConaill. Revolutionizing clinical care using prospective, institution-wide tumor sequencing. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4666. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4666
The Inverse Relationship Between Cancer and Alzheimer's Disease: A Possible Mechanism

Background Cancer and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are both associated with aging, but do not often occur together. Obesity is a shared risk factor for both diseases and may be involved in this curious clinical observation. Fat cells produce many active substances, including leptin and adiponectin; leptin has cancer stimulating and AD inhibiting properties, while adiponectin can inhibit cancer but stimulate AD. Objective To describe the opposing effects of leptin and adiponectin on cancer and AD, to outline signaling pathways involved in these effects and to suggest new research on effective control strategies for both diseases. Methods A review was conducted to document the inverse cancer/AD relationship and the role of excess body fat as a common risk factor. Previous studies have suggested the involvement of p53, Wnt and other cell signaling pathways in this inverse relationship. The opposing effects of leptin and adiponectin on these signaling pathways in cancer and AD were evaluated. Results The inverse cancer/AD relationship is well documented, as is the role of excess body fat, especially central obesity, in increasing risk for both diseases. Leptin and adiponectin have opposing effects in cancer and AD mediated by signaling factors that influence apoptosis, angiogenesis, and other cell growth controls. Wnt and p53 are prominent among these signaling factors. Conclusion Opposing effects of leptin and adiponectin, mediated by specific cell signaling pathways, are involved in the inverse cancer/Ad relationship. Future research aimed at modifying the leptin/adiponectin ratio may lead to important treatment and control approaches in both cancer and AD.
Solitary fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma arising from the posterior neck in the perivertebral space and treated with surgery and preoperative embolization

Abstract Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT)/hemangiopericytoma (HPC) is a rare, slow growing vascular tumor. In the head and neck region, it is usually seen in the nasal or oral cavity, orbit, jaw, and parotid region. It has equal male to female distribution and affects mainly younger adults with median age of 45 years. According the World Health Organization, sometimes it is impossible to distinguish HPC from SFT and consequently, they are now classified as the same entity. The first line of treatment for this tumor is complete surgical removal with wide margins. In the head and neck area, wide margins can be very challenging and incomplete resection is associated with high rate of recurrence and malignant transformation. Embolization is a considerable option prior to excision, which helps reducing the tumor size and the risk of intraoperative hemorrhage. We describe a case of posterior neck solitary fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma that was completely resected following particle embolization of the feeding artery.
Effect of Tumor Size on Risk of Metastatic Disease and Survival for Thyroid Cancer: Implications for Biopsy Guidelines.

Background: In many risk-stratification systems, the decision to biopsy thyroid nodules is determined by their sonographic features and size. Nevertheless, even low-suspicion nodules are often biop...
Office-based esophageal dilation in head and neck cancer: Safety, feasibility, and cost analysis.

Objective To review experience, safety, and cost of office-based esophageal dilation in patients with history of head and neck cancer (HNCA). Methods The medical records of patients undergoing esophageal dilation in the office were retrospectively reviewed between August 2015 and May 2017. Patients were given nasal topical anesthesia. Next, a transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE) was performed. If the patient tolerated TNE, we proceeded with esophageal dilation using Seldinger technique with the CRE™ Boston Scientific (Boston Scientific Corp., Marlborough, MA) balloon system. Patients were discharged directly from the outpatient clinic. Results Forty-seven dilations were performed in 22 patients with an average of 2.1 dilations/patient (range 1-10, standard deviation [SD] ± 2.2). Seventeen patients (77%) were male. The average age was 67 years (range 35-78 years, SD ± 8.5). The most common primary site of cancer was oral cavity/oropharynx (n = 10), followed by larynx (n = 6). All patients (100%) had history of radiation treatment. Four patients were postlaryngectomy. The indication for esophageal dilation was esophageal stricture and progressive dysphagia. All dilations occurred in the proximal esophagus. There were no major complications. Three focal, superficial lacerations occurred. Two patients experienced mild, self-limited epistaxis. One dilation was poorly tolerated due to discomfort. One patient required pain medication postprocedure. Office-based esophageal dilation generated $15,000 less in health system charges compared to traditional operating room dilation on average per episode of care. Conclusion In patients with history of HNCA and radiation, office-based TNE with esophageal dilation appears safe, well-tolerated, and cost-effective. In a small cohort, the technique has low complication rate and is feasible in an otolaryngology outpatient office setting. Level of evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 128:2261-2267, 2018.
Association of tumor mutational burden with smoking and mutation status in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

24Background: Reponses to immunotherapy have been observed in multiple solid tumors including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Identifying optimal biomarkers for response to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 ther...
Madness in “The Room”: The Use of Sartre’s Essay as a Teaching Aid

This is a pilot project involving the use of a literary vignette as a teaching aid to sophomore medical students. An analysis of “The Room” a short story written by J. P. Sartre in 1939, is presented to establish if it can be considered as a literary example of shared paranoid disorder (folie a deux). In “The Room,” Sartre, eloquently depicts important psychodynamic concepts. The use of “The Room” as a teaching tool in Psychiatry turned out to be exciting and stimulating to both teachers and to medical students.
Performance Evaluation of the Empirical Kinetic Modeling Approach (EKMA)

The EKMA is a Lagrangian photochemical air quality simulation model that calculates ozone from its precursors: nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). This study evaluated the performance of the EKMA when it is used to estimate the maximum ozone concentration that can occur in an urban area and its environs. The evaluation was conducted using data for five U.S. cities. This paper reports the results for St. Louis, Missouri.
Information Technology in Logistics

As it has in all areas of today’s business and social environments, the advent of the computer has also caused a revolution in logistics management. As the complexity of managing today’s enterprise expands and the speed by which information concerning products, customers, and processes accelerates, logistics functions can have little hope of responding effectively without applying computerized information systems. Many areas impacted by the computer have already been discussed in previous chapters: the integration of the operating functions of the enterprise, solutions that accelerate ordering processes and shrink delivery time to customers, electronic data interchange (EDI) systems providing connectivity between companies, planning systems that facilitate inventory control, PCs (personal computers) that eliminate the guesswork involved in transportation routing and scheduling, and many others. The use and complexity of such tools can only be expected to grow, changing the way companies have traditionally serviced their customers and provided products and how they communicate with supply channel partners.
Canine hyperadrenocorticism associations with signalment, selected comorbidities and mortality within North American veterinary teaching hospitals.

Objective To describe a large population of dogs with a diagnosis of hyperadrenocorticism at the time of death in North American veterinary teaching hospitals, and to identify comorbid conditions associated with hyperadrenocorticism. Materials and methods Retrospective cohort study of 1519 dogs with hyperadrenocorticism from a population of 70,574 dogs reported to the Veterinary Medical Database. Signalment, presence or absence of hyperadrenocorticism, aetiology of hyperadrenocorticism (if described), frequency of select comorbidities and causes of death were evaluated in dogs with and without hyperadrenocorticism. Results Hyperadrenocorticism was more frequent in females. Neutering was associated with a minor, but significant, increase in the odds of hyperadrenocorticism. Hyperadrenocorticism was the presumed cause of death of 393 (25∙9%) of affected dogs. When aetiology was specified (527 dogs, corresponding to 34∙7% of the cases), pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism [387 (73∙4%) out of 527 dogs] was more common than functional adrenocortical tumour [136 (25∙8%) out of 527 dogs). Hyperadrenocorticism was over-represented in certain expected (miniature poodle, dachshund) and unexpected (Irish setter, bassett hound) breeds compared with the population at large. Of the select comorbidities investigated, dogs with hyperadrenocorticism were at increased risk for concurrent diabetes mellitus, urinary tract infection, urolithiasis, hypertension, gall bladder mucocoele and thromboembolic disease compared with dogs without hyperadrenocorticism. Clinical significance Hyperadrenocorticism is significantly associated with certain comorbid conditions but is not a major cause of mortality in affected dogs. Documented patterns now provide targets for prospective clinical research.
The role of heritage assets in public financial reporting : an assessment on the current status of financial reporting of heritage assets in Switzerland

In the wake of public financial management reforms, academics and practitioners have discussed and elaborated the impact of accounting reforms on heritage assets for more than three decades. Both national and international standard-setting bodies and the scientific community were not able to provide a common definition for heritage asset in an accounting context. This article presents the most relevant definitions used in public financial management as well as it elaborates on the critical issues concerning recognition, measurement and disclosure of heritage assets. Based on publicly accessible documents from twenty Swiss states and selected interviews with accounting officers from these states this paper presents an overview of what importance is being given to heritage assets in public financial reporting in Switzerland. The empirical results indicate that despite modern public financial management regimes (i.e. HAM2 or IPSAS) transparency regarding heritage assets remains very limited. As a result, recommendations for, but not limited to Switzerland are presented, which offer a possible approach to increase the level of information available on heritage assets in financial reporting.
Disparities in supportive therapy for head and neck cancer and impact on missed radiation days and weight loss.

6077Background: National guidelines emphasize the importance of speech and swallowing (SS) and nutrition services (NS) for head and neck cancer patients (pts). This study evaluates influences of de...
Following Food to its Source

First paragraph: Knowing Where it Comes From seeks to provide a history for the various labeling systems for foods now present in the global supply chain. Accordingly, author Fabio Parasecoli explains what a geographic indication is while comparing how these labels are used in various administrative systems, namely the sui generis system and the mark-based system. Parasecoli refers to these indications and labeling schemes as “place-based labels” (p. 7). His stated goal is to “explore and assess the political, legal, and administrative appa­ratus that has been activated to identify and safe­guard the connection between foods and their places of origin and to illustrate its different effects on all the stakeholders” (pp. 6–7). While Parasecoli may ultimately achieve this goal, such success is contingent upon the reader’s dedicated toil. Parasecoli does not follow the sage writing advice to never use two words where just one will do, leaving the reader to navigate a Faulkner style of writing with long, complicated sentences often containing excessive verbiage. For example, at one point Parasecoli writes, “The increasing commercial and cultural relevance of local products and practices—especially those expressing long-lasting traditions—has led to attempts to describe, systematize, and regulate them through different kinds of classifications, juridical frameworks, and international conven­tions” (p. 6). Although Parasecoli takes pains to explain our globalized labeling scheme, his writing style often adds further complexity to an already complicated subject matter.
The Pearson's correlation coefficient is not a universally superior colocalization metric. Response to 'Quantifying colocalization: the MOC is a hybrid coefficient - an uninformative mix of co-occurrence and correlation'.

In their correspondence, Adler and Parmryd reiterated their conclusion that “the Manders' overlap coefficient (MOC) is not suitable for making measurements of colocalization by correlation or co-occurrence” ([Adler and Parmryd, 2010][1]). As a result, they also challenge one of the main points
Minimally Invasive Sacroiliac Joint Fusion Using Triangular Titanium versus Cylindrical Threaded Implants: A Comparison of Patient-Reported Outcomes.

Background Minimally invasive fusion of the sacroiliac (SI) joint has gained popularity for the treatment of refractory dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of minimally invasive SI joint fusion between cylindrical threaded implants (CTIs) and triangular dowel implants (TDIs). Methods We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who underwent SI joint fusions with either CTIs or TDIs. Data collected included patient demographics, perioperative data, and all patient-reported outcomes (PROs) including postoperative visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index, and Short Form-12 at 6 months and 1 year. The change from baseline PROs between the cohorts was analyzed as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included revision rates and time to revision between the two cohorts. A P value Results One hundred fifty-six consecutive patients underwent SI joint fusion, 74 patients with CTIs and 82 with TDIs. There was a significant difference in procedure length with CTI averaging 60.0 minutes (confidence interval: 55.7–64.3) and TDI averaging 41.2 minutes (confidence interval: 38.4–43.9, P Conclusions SI joint fusions with TDI or CTI offer a significant improvement in pain, disability, and quality of life. However, no difference was observed between devices to suggest superior clinical outcomes. Increased revision rates in the Rialto group warrants further investigation.
Testing an active intervention to deter researchers' use of questionable research practices.

In this study, we tested a simple, active “ethical consistency” intervention aimed at reducing researchers’ endorsement of questionable research practices (QRPs). We developed a simple, active ethical consistency intervention and tested it against a control using an established QRP survey instrument. Before responding to a survey that asked about attitudes towards each of fifteen QRPs, participants were randomly assigned to either a consistency or control 3–5-min writing task. A total of 201 participants completed the survey: 121 participants were recruited from a database of currently funded NSF/NIH scientists, and 80 participants were recruited from a pool of active researchers at a large university medical center in the southeastern US. Narrative responses to the writing prompts were coded and analyzed to assist post hoc interpretation of the quantitative data. We hypothesized that participants in the consistency condition would find ethically ambiguous QRPs less defensible and would indicate less willingness to engage in them than participants in the control condition. The results showed that the consistency intervention had no significant effect on respondents’ reactions regarding the defensibility of the QRPs or their willingness to engage in them. Exploratory analyses considering the narrative themes of participants’ responses indicated that participants in the control condition expressed lower perceptions of QRP defensibility and willingness. The results did not support the main hypothesis, and the consistency intervention may have had the unwanted effect of inducing increased rationalization. These results may partially explain why RCR courses often seem to have little positive effect.
Autonomic Partitioning for the Smart Control of Wireless Mesh Networks

Real-world deployments of low-cost, peer-to-peer Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) for communication in under-served settings are hampered by low throughput capacity and high complexity of network control. We present an autonomic smart-agent based WMN design that organizes a node placement (NP) into dynamic network partitions to promote the WMNs’ capacity through increased frequency diversity and advanced network control. Through a custom-built simulation framework that supports agent decision making under real concurrency settings, we show that our smart partitioning technique achieves fast convergence to stable partition sets, relying on local information, under extreme node churn conditions. The design is robust to the average WMN NP density and produces partitions isolated at the physical and link layers with the properties of bounded diameter and node degree, and elected partition control node.
Peanut Immunotherapy: Stepping Towards Desensitization for Peanut Allergy.

DISCLOSURES: No outside funding supported the writing of this commentary. Hsu reports research support from Vedanta Biosciences and consulting fees from EBSCO, outside the submitted work.
210 Characteristics of hospitals that care for patients with firearm injuries: evidence from the nationwide emergncy department sample

Statement of Purpose Firearm injury is a public health crisis in the United States, but little is known about the distribution of firearm injury care among health systems. We examined national estimates of ED visits and hospital admissions to describe the hospitals that care for patients with firearm injuries. This research aims to identify areas of focus for practice improvement and hospital-based violence prevention. Methods Data was collected from the Nationwide ED Sample (NEDS) for 2016. The NEDS is a 20% stratified sample of all U.S. EDs weighted to provide national estimates. We identified firearm-related injuries using ICD-10 external cause-of-injury codes. We described the distribution of firearm injuries among hospitals and characterized hospitals that treat an average of 2 firearm injuries per week (100/year) according to hospital size, ownership, region, teaching status, urban-rural location, and region. Results Of the 953 hospitals in the NEDS, 818 hospitals weighted to represent 3,892 hospitals nationally treated a total of 97,608 firearm injuries in 2016. The median firearm injuries treated was 8 (interquartile range 3, 19). The 226 hospitals (5.8%) that treated ≥100 firearm injuries cared for 47.4% of all firearm injuries, 69.0% of 26,812 admissions, 60.3% of 12,775 severely injured patients, and 58.3% of 7,626 deaths. Eighty-two percent were Level I or II trauma centers and 91% were metropolitan, teaching hospitals, with 57% located in major urban centers. Forty-six percent were in the South, 37% in the West, 29% in the Midwest, and 8% in the Northeast. Conclusions Most U.S. hospitals care for firearm injuries, but care is concentrated in a small minority of hospitals, primarily in metropolitan trauma centers in the South and West. Significance and Contributions to Injury and Violence Prevention Science Hospitals treating substantial numbers of gunshot wound patients may be the most appropriate sites for hospital-based violence intervention programs.
Unsupervised learning for the droplet evolution prediction and process dynamics understanding in inkjet printing

Abstract Droplet jetting behavior largely determines the final drop deposition quality in the inkjet printing process. Forming such behavior is governed by the fluid flow pattern. Therefore, a measurement of the flow pattern is of great importance for improving the printing quality of the inkjet printing process. Most of the current works use static images for the study of the drop evolution process. The problem of the static images is that the images cannot recognize the motion information (i.e., temporal transformation) of the droplet. Thus the information of the jetting process in the temporal domain will be lost. Instead of using the images, this paper takes the video data as the study subject to investigate the droplet evolution behavior in the inkjet printing process. Moreover, this paper introduces a deep learning method for the study of such video data. Compared to most of the current learning approaches conducted in a supervised/semi-supervised manner for manufacturing process data, we propose an unsupervised learning method for studying the flow pattern of the droplet, which does not require well-defined ground-truth labels. Regarding the spatial and temporal transformation of the droplet in video data, we apply a deep recurrent neural network (DRNN) to implement the proposed unsupervised learning. To verify the hypothesis that the proposed method can learn a latent representation for reproducing original data, the proposed DRNN is trained and tested on both simulation and experimental datasets. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can learn latent representations of the droplet jetting process video data, which is very useful for the prediction of the droplet behavior. Furthermore, through latent space decoding, the learned representations can infer the droplet forming stimulus parameters such as material properties, which would be very helpful for further understanding of the process dynamics and achieving real-time in-situ droplet deposition quality monitoring and control.
Central Sleep Apnea in Patients with Heart Failure-How to Screen, How to Treat.

Central sleep apnea occurs in up to 50% of heart failure patients and worsens outcomes. Established therapies are limited by minimal supporting evidence, poor patient adherence, and potentially adverse cardiovascular effects. However, transvenous phrenic nerve stimulation, by contracting the diaphragm, restores normal breathing throughout sleep and has been shown to be safe and effective. This review discusses the mechanisms, screening, diagnosis, and therapeutic approaches to CSA in patients with HF. In a prospective, multicenter randomized Pivotal Trial (NCT01816776) of transvenous phrenic nerve stimulation with the remedē System, significantly more treated patients had a ≥ 50% reduction in apnea-hypopnea index compared with controls, with a 41 percentage point difference between group difference at 6 months (p < 0.0001). All hierarchically tested sleep, quality of life, and daytime sleepiness endpoints were significantly improved in treated patients. Freedom from serious related adverse events at 12 months was 91%. Benefits are sustained to 36 months. Transvenous phrenic nerve stimulation improves quality of life in patients with heart failure and central sleep apnea. Controlled trials evaluating the impact of this therapy on mortality/heart failure hospitalizations and “real world” experience are needed to confirm safety and effectiveness.