cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cramer-Rao lower bounds on estimating the parameters of a filtered burst of sinusoid

Using Cramer-Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) for estimating time of arrival and frequency of a burst of sinusoid, we investigate the effect of the location and extent of the observation interval, relative to the support of the received signal pulse, and the effect of not knowing the time duration of the pulse. The effect of filtering the received waveform using a known bandpass filter is also studied and is found to be small. The tail portion of the filter response after the signal pulse ends provides almost no information about the signal parameters. The initial transient build-up portion of the signal pulse response provides specially important information about time of arrival. For observation intervals which include the whole pulse duration, there are significant potential performance differences between the cases of known and unknown pulse duration.
EMT Transition Alters Interstitial Fluid Flow–Induced Signaling in ERBB2-Positive Breast Cancer Cells

A variety of biophysical forces are altered in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and these forces can influence cancer progression. One such force is interstitial fluid flow (IFF)—the movement of fluid through the tissue matrix. IFF was previously shown to induce invasion of cancer cells, but the activated signaling cascades remain poorly understood. Here, it is demonstrated that IFF induces invasion of ERBB2/HER2expressing breast cancer cells via activation of phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K). In constitutively activate ERBB2-expressing cells that have undergone epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), IFF-mediated invasion requires the chemokine receptor CXCR4, a gradient of its ligand CXCL12, and activity of the PI3K catalytic subunits p110a and b. In wild-type ERBB2expressing cells, IFF-mediated invasion is chemokine receptor– independent and requires only p110a activation. To test whether cells undergoing EMT alter their signaling response to IFF, TGFb1 was used to induce EMT in wild-type ERBB2expressing cells, resulting in IFF-induced invasion dependent on CXCR4 and p110b. Implications: This study identifies a novel signaling mechanism for interstitial flow–induced invasion of ERBB2-expressing breast cancercells,onethatdependsonEMTandactsthroughaCXCR4– PI3K pathway. These findings suggest that the response of cancer cells to interstitial flow depends on EMT status and malignancy.
Overview of activities in the U.S. related to continued service of nuclear power plant concrete structures

Safety-related nuclear power plant concrete structures are described and commentary on continued service assessments of these structures is provided. In-service inspection and testing requirements in the U.S. are summarized. The license renewal process in the U.S. is outlined and its current status noted. A summary of operating experience related to U.S. nuclear power plant concrete structures is presented. Several candidate areas are identified where additional research would be of benefit to aging management of NPP concrete structures. Finally current ORNL activities related to aging-management of concrete structures are outlined: development of operating experience database, application of structural reliability theory, and compilation of elevated temperature concrete material property data and information.
Reduction in Needle Sharing Among Seattle-Area Injection Drug Users Across 4 Surveys, 1994-2013.

Objectives. We evaluated time trends in sharing needles and other injection equipment from 1994 to 2013 among injection drug users in the Seattle, Washington area.Methods. We combined data from 4 sources: the Risk Activity Variables, Epidemiology, and Network (RAVEN) study, recruited from institutional settings; the Kiwi study, recruited from jails; National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system (NHBS) surveys, which used respondent-driven sampling; and surveys at needle-exchange sites.Results. Levels of needle sharing were higher in the earlier studies: RAVEN, 1994 to 1997 (43%) and Kiwi, 1998 to 2002 (61%). In the NHBS surveys, the initial level of 44% in 2005 declined to 31% in the period 2009 to 2012. Across needle-exchange surveys (2009–2013) the level was 21%. There was a parallel reduction in sharing other injection equipment. These trends persisted after control for sociodemographic and risk-associated variables. There was a contemporaneous increase in the number of needles distributed by local needl...
Drainage Density as Index of Watershed Development

Studies have been completed on watersheds in Florida, and a methodology developed to predict environmental impacts using drainage characteristics of developing watersheds. The drainage density index, a measure of total length of waterways observed on aerial photographs per unit area, was computed for various watersheds in order to relate land-use changes and drainage patterns to hydrologic and water quality responses. Results indicate significant increases in drainage density over the past 19 yr in the Kissimmee River Basin. Water quality concentrations and loading rates of total phosphorus from seven watersheds indicate a significant correlation with the drainage density index. Differences in available nonpoint source loads were found to reflect only a small fraction of observed difference in measured total phosphorus loads.
Ecology Reconfigured: Organizational Innovation, Group Dynamics and Scientific Change

The ecosystem concept and related changes in ecological theory, combined with the emergence of large-scale, long-term data collection, catalyzed policy actions within the U.S. National Science Foundation and among ecological professional societies that, in turn, created the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), a place that further reconfigured the conduct and content of ecological science. NCEAS did so by pioneering a process called scientific synthesis, which combines data across sites and over time to answer broader and more fundamental scientific questions and to address environmental challenges. Small-group dynamics of trust, intimacy, emotional energy and intensive interaction (both constructive and critical) contributed to the local reconfiguration of the process and substance of ecological science, and then this local transformation, in turn, brought about broader changes within the field as a whole.
A game theoretic model for resource allocation among countermeasures with multiple attributes

Abstract We study a strategic, two-player, sequential game between an attacker and defender. The defender must allocate resources amongst possible countermeasures and across possible targets. The attacker then chooses a type of threat and a target to attack. This paper proposes a model for determining optimal resource allocation by combining game theory with a simple multi-attribute utility model. Given a set of possible attributes representing goals or preferences, we allow each player to choose a weight for each attribute, where the subset of attributes with nonzero weights represents that player’s preferences. Every countermeasure is given a score for its effectiveness at both mitigating the effects of an attack in terms of each attribute and reducing the probability of the success of an attack. Furthermore, the consequences of each possible attack are scored in terms of each attribute. The multi-attribute utility aspect of this model uses these scores, along with the players’ weights, to form the basis of the utility (or disutility) for each player. We find that (i) the zero-sum game where the attacker’s and defender’s weights are identical results in the worst losses for the defender, (ii) in general cases the defender’s equilibrium strategy has the result of making the attacker indifferent between multiple attacks and (iii) the use of target-independent countermeasures (i.e. countermeasures which operate at national levels as opposed to operating at differing levels for each target) can increase the cost-effectiveness of countermeasures.
Current status of outside vapor deposition: process and performance

The outside vapor deposition (OVD) process1,2 has extensive flexibility in making optical waveguide glass with a variety of properties. It is suitable for fabricating step-index multimode, graded-index multimode, and single-mode fibers with core to o.d. ratios from 0.8 and with the fractional refractive-index difference in the range 0 ≤ Δ ≤ 2.5% (Fig. 1).
Singularity and near Singularity in Numerical Analysis

(1958). Singularity and near Singularity in Numerical Analysis. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 65, No. 4, pp. 229-240.
Competitive Binding of Methanol and Propane for Water Via Matrix-Isolation Spectroscopy: Implications for Inhibition of Clathrate Nucleation

Methanol is a well-known thermodynamic inhibitor of clathrate hydrate formation. The interactions responsible for the inhibition, however, are not well-identified. Propane is a relatively simple hydrocarbon that forms a clathrate hydrate under mild conditions. This paper reports data about the interaction of methanol with water-propane complex. Methanol, water, and propane are isolated in carbon tetrachloride, and the interaction is probed with infrared spectroscopy. Water is known to interact with propane via the oxygen lone pairs and the propane methylene hydrogens. Experimental evidence indicates that methanol hydrogen bonds to water via donation of the hydroxyl hydrogen (K = 4.4 × 10(2)). Methanol does not have a direct interaction with propane. These results are consistent with an inhibitory mechanism in which methanol competes with propane for the oxygen atom of water.
Comparative Dissolution Performance of Internationally Available Piroxicam Products

Piroxicam is a widely used nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug available worldwide under various trade names by several manufacturers. Only one brand of piroxicam (Feldene) is currently marketed in the U.S., and the United States Pharmacopeial Convention established an official dissolution requirement for piroxicam in 1985. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the dissolution performance of several internationally available piroxicam products using the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) dissolution test for piroxicam capsules. Of 25 brands of piroxicam capsules evaluated, 72 percent of the brands failed to meet the USP requirement, several by a wide margin. Although there is no specific USP dissolution test for tablets, the test for capsules was applied to five different brands of piroxicam tablets, and 80 percent of the tablet brands tested failed to meet the USP requirement. Although comparative bioavailability studies would be required to establish any definitive relationship between dissolution test performance and bioavailability, the failure of most of these products to meet the USP requirement for dissolution indicates formulation differences that could result in altered bioavailability. The substantial differences in dissolution performance observed among the piroxicam oral dosage forms tested have implications concerning the equivalency and standards of multisource products available on the international market, and should be taken into account by health care providers worldwide.
Effect of ViscoStat and ViscoStat Plus on composite shear bond strength in the presence and absence of blood.

Purpose To examine the effects of the hemostatic agents ViscoStat and ViscoStat Plus on the shear bond strength (SBS) of composite resin (CR) to dentin in the presence and absence of blood. Materials and methods Sixty permanent teeth mounted in acrylic were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 12): (1) control, C; (2) ViscoStat, VS; (3) ViscoStat Plus, VS+; (4) ViscoStat and blood, VS/B; (5) ViscoStat Plus and blood, VS+/B. Groups 2 and 3 were exposed to VS and VS+, respectively. Freshly drawn human blood was placed on groups 4 and 5 immediately followed by VS and VS+, respectively. Specimens remained undisturbed for 1 min and were rinsed with tap water for 1 min. All groups were etched with 35% phosphoric acid and were bonded utilizing the Ultradent bonding clamp, Optibond Solo Plus, and Z-250 composite resin. Following water storage for 48 hrs at 37 degrees C, specimens were debonded in an Instron test frame at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Statistical analysis was done with one-way analysis of variance. Results The mean SBS+/-SD in MPa were C: 44.2+/-4.8, VS: 42.3+/-8.7, VS+: 46.2+/-7.8, VS/B: 43.0+/-6.4, VS+/B: 44.0+/-8.1. ANOVA revealed no significant difference (p > 0.05) between SBS of VS or VS+ and the control with or without blood present. ostatic Conclusion This controlled laboratory study concluded that the use of ViscoStat or ViscoStat Plus as a hem agent does not have a significant effect on the shear bond strength of composite resin to dentin when using Optibond Solo Plus.
Equipping the Freedman

The confidence, so often expressed in the North during the three decades before the Civil War, that properly organized education would bring about a profound regeneration of society was quite naturally applied to the rebel South. “The North, a missionary spokesman wrote in the Atlanta Christian Index in 1866, ‘should teach the South … by military garrisons, by [Freedmen’s] Bureau courts, by Congregational churches, by Northern settlers, by constitutional amendments, by christian missionaries, by free schools, lectures, newspapers and reading rooms, what be the first principles of social order, political eminence, moral worth and industrial success.’”1 On the eve of the war, in the preface for the latest of his widely read accounts of tours of inquiry through the South, Frederick Law Olmstead had suggested that both Blacks and Whites in the South would have to be educated before emancipation could be a success: Popular prejudice, if not popular instinct, points to a separation of black from white as a condition of the abolition of slavery.…I think a happy and peaceful association of a large negro, with a large white population, can not at present be calculated on as a permanent thing. I think that the emancipation from slavery of such part of the existing actual negro population as shall remain in the country until the white population is sufficiently christianized and civilized, and properly educated to understand that its interests are identical with its duty, will take place gradually, and only after an intermediate period of systematic pupilage, restraint, and encouragement.2
Two Examples of Professional Behavior: Roger Boisjoly and William LeMessurier

What do you do when you realize that your work or your company's work has resulted in a serious threat to life and health, and how do you go about it? Roger Boisjoly's Attempts to Avert the Disaster What do safety problems look like to the engineer who encounters them? How do they develop over time? What are good ways of responding to such problems at each stage of their development? Much can be learned from the attempts of Roger Boisjoly, an engineer at Morton Thiokol, to avert the Challenger disaster of January 1986. His care and diligence in coping with the uncertainties about the nature and extent of the threat to the shuttle flights and his courageous persistence in raising issues exemplify responsible behavior. Like others who have spent time with Roger Boisjoly, I have been impressed with his sincerity and forthrightness. These are matters of moral character over and above the particular acts he performed. Boisjoly's integrity and openness make his personal account of events especially illuminating, but at this point in our investigation we are concerned with his actions, what he did at various points in the unfolding story of the Challenger disaster, rather than with his character.
INVOLVING CHILDREN AND THEIR PARENTS IN RESEARCH DESIGN.

Background Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, states that children should be involved in decisions that directly affect them.1 Research involving children should ensure that the opinions and assistance of children and young people is sought at the beginning of the project as their perspectives may influence all aspects of the research design. Aim To describe the challenges recruiting paediatric patients and members of the public to consult on the design of a research project. Method Posters were put up around the Children9s Hospital including pharmacy to recruit paediatric patients and parents to review a research proposal involving children with long-term conditions. Results There were two responses to the poster, a father and his 15 year old daughter, and a father with a 2 year old child. The father of the 15 year old attended the initial planning meeting, unfortunately the 15 year old and the father of the 2 year old were unable to attend on the day although both agreed to participate in the project. The meeting gave the opportunity to explain the research proposal and answer questions. It was established that the lay team would review the lay summary, participant information leaflet (PIL), and questionnaires that would be sent to the participants. It was arranged that all further contact would be via email due to travel constraints. Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research requires the individuals to be reimbursed for their time. The National Institute for Health Research rate is £18.75 per hour. The lay team members were informed of this and were reimbursed for attending the planning meeting. Conclusions The use of posters to recruit PPI into the research design had limited success. Since recruitment, the Children9s Hospital has launched a youth partnership which may be able to assist in recruitment of lay team members in the future. The logistics of how to pay the lay team members needed to be resolved before their recruitment to ensure timely payment. A form has been created to enable timely payment. Face to face meetings allow for greater discussion between all lay members which may lead to more ideas and opinions being generated than when communicating via email. When working via email, the amount of time spent on the project can not be verified. It should be specified from the start how long the work is expected to take. An advantage of using email is that costs reimbursed do not include travel expenses. When involving young people of school age it must be remembered that meetings need to be arranged outside of school hours which may be difficult for the researcher to accommodate. The lay members of the team provided valuable feedback regarding the wording of the lay summary, PIL and research tools leading to alterations being made before submission to the ethics committee.
Cultic Prophecy and Levitical Inheritance in the Elijah-Elisha Cycle

This article seeks to elucidate the nature and significance of the enigmatic mantle transfer rite involving Elijah and Elisha in 1 Kgs 19.19. When Yahweh instructs Elijah to anoint Elisha to be prophet in his place, Yahweh has a type of symbolic adoption in mind to take Elisha as an heir through the rite of mantle transfer. This article argues that Elijah's mantle is a marker of his identity, and that the conferment of his clothing is a means of claiming Elisha, who subsequently takes leave of his natural father (v. 20). Elijah and Elisha function in the northern kingdom as cultic prophets, performing duties typical of both prophet and priest, not unlike Samuel. This double role gives context for an analogy—or possible typology—for Elisha's inheritance with that of the Levitical priest in Deuteronomy.
Air Pollution and Climate Change

Considerable disparities in respiratory health due to race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status (SES) have been reported, including for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Strong evidence exists that air pollution is associated with asthma and COPD. Air pollution is likely contributing to health disparities for asthma and COPD because the economically disadvantaged and minorities have greater exposures to traffic and disproportionate proximity to polluting land uses and toxic emissions. Poor communities also have more health-damaging factors and less health-promoting amenities. The concept of cumulative risk captures the interplay of intrinsic factors of biological susceptibility and extrinsic factors of social vulnerability on health responses to environmental hazards like air pollution and climate change. In utero and early-life exposures to pollutants and other stressors can increase risk of adverse health outcomes later in life. Preexisting health conditions and behaviors, such as obesity and smoking, also can increase individual susceptibility to pollutants. Extrinsic social stressors (e.g., poverty, crime and violence, segregation, lack of community resources or healthcare access) have been linked to chronic stress. Although exposure to family stress and violence have been found to increase the effects of traffic-related air pollution on childhood asthma in several studies, better understanding of impacts of extrinsic neighborhood factors on air pollution–health effects associations is needed, as well as more research on the biological mechanisms of air pollution–stress interactions. Methods to better characterize and model cumulative impacts are also needed. Policy approaches to air quality and climate change, which currently focus on pollutants and their sources, should consider the cumulative impact of stressors and vulnerabilities encountered by people who live in minority or low SES communities.
Investigation on the defect data of circuit breaker above 110kV

Recently, Operation and Asset Management Department pays more and more attention to the accumulation and analysis of operation data. To support the OAMD with decision making and lead the asset management transit from “experience dependence” to “data support”, this paper analyzes the defect data of circuit-breaker with voltage level above 110kV from the perspective of voltage level, operation department, manufacturer, service time, mechanism type. Through data visualization, the distribution of defect rate of circuit-breakers is obtained firstly. After that, the common defect types of different manufacturers are summarized and a statistical analysis of replaced components of circuit breaker has been made to provide assistance to the Operation and Asset Management Department on spare parts. In the end, a replacement strategy of circuit-breakers is studied and it is suggested that the most efficient scheme is to replace 1% of circuit breakers older than 17 years.
A Rapid Approach to Build Jacobians for Optical Tomography via Monte Carlo Method and Photon “Replay”

We report a rapid approach to build three-dimensional spatial-temporal Jacobians via the Monte Carlo method for absorption and scattering perturbations. A photon “replay” approach was implemented for both voxel- and mesh-based MC simulations.
Effect of Robot Dynamics on the Machining Forces in Robotic Milling

Abstract This paper analyzes the effect of robot structural dynamics on the forces produced in robotic milling. For this purpose, a dynamic milling force model incorporating the effect of robot dynamics and the effect of external forces on the robot stiffness is implemented. The force model employs prior work on dynamic modeling of milling forces where the influence of system compliance on the equilibrium or “steady state” uncut chip thickness is accounted for using iterative computation. The effect of milling forces on the robot arm stiffness is accounted for using the Conservative Congruence Transformation (CCT). Robotic milling experiments show ∼50% to 75% reduction in the predicted errors for key characteristics of the resultant milling forces with the dynamic model. The paper also analyzes the significance of the effect of robot dynamics on the resulting forces as a function of robot configuration (pose) and cutting conditions.
Corruption’s impact on organizational outcomes

Purpose This study aims to develop a model of corruption that measures the impact of sports corruption on organizational outcomes (i.e. win difference and attendance) and the mediating role of institutional reputation. How the form and extent of the corruption impacted these organizational outcomes was also examined. Design/methodology/approach Archival data were collected and then structural equation modeling (i.e. path analysis) was used to analyze the model and estimate the parameters. Findings The model was a good fit. The extent of the violation served as an antecedent to sanctions and institutional reputation mediated the relationship between the extent of the violation and organizational outcomes. A weak but negative correlation between sanctions and institutional reputation was also found. Practical implications Rather than seeking to prevent specific forms of corruption carried out by individuals, managers should consider developing and implementing reform interventions that concentrate on eliminating corrupt networks (e.g. a group of interrelated individuals that abuse their power for private or public gain) who facilitate systematic malfeasance acts. Originality/value The study is the first to operationalize the extent and form of corrupt acts and measure their impact on organizational outcomes. The results demonstrate how different variables interact to determine the effects on organizational outcomes.
Noncoding RNA for Presymptomatic Diagnosis of Age-Dependent Disease

Age-dependent diseases generally involve long-term development of tissue system disorders; the late symptomatic manifestation is the culmination of numerous incremental programmatic shifts to dysfunctional states. Most current therapeutic treatments address illnesses characterizing the elderly symptomatically, largely attempting to reduce the severity of the disease rather than delaying or preventing its occurrence; this retrospective strategy is due to a serious lack of presymptomatic diagnosis. MicroRNAs have emerged recently as a major epigenetic factor controlling programmatic cell signaling controls and directing the optimal functionality of many tissues and their host cells. These small molecular species, while coding for no proteins, are key to coordinating systemic programming by controlling the expression levels of hundreds or thousands of genes via a negative regulatory mechanism, either by inhibiting their translation by binding at the 3′-untranslated region or degrading their mRNA messages by binding to their coding regions. These “genetic dimmer switches” are vital molecular program controls, exerting direct impact on target genes involved in cellular signaling pathways. Since microRNAs are necessary keys for the developmental construction of signaling pathways essential for neurons, cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes, etc., changes in microRNA expression, and the profiling of these changes qualitatively and quantitatively, may prove to be useful indices as presymptomatic diagnostic markers. The availability of these indices in the future should provide a jump start for preventive therapy for age-dependent diseases and frailty.
A cortical network model of cognitive attentional strems, rhythmic expectation, and auditory stream segregation

We have developed a neural network architecture that implements a theory of attention, learning, and trans-cortical communication based on adaptive synchronization of 5–15 Hz and 30–80 Hz oscillations between cortical areas. Here we present a specific higher order cortical model of attentional networks, rhythmic expectancy, and the interaction of higher-order and primary cortical levels of processing. It accounts for the “mismatch negativity” of the auditory ERP and the results of psychological experiments of Jones showing that auditory stream segregation depends on the rhythmic structure of inputs. The timing mechanisms of the model allow us to explain how relative timing information such as the relative order of events between streams is lost when streams are formed. The model suggests how the theories of auditory perception and attention of Jones and Bregman may be reconciled.
Technology Assessment and the Problem of Quantification

Until this century, there was usually great harmony between the predominant ethics of the culture and the underlying assumptions of its writers on economics. Adam Smith mirrored the atmosphere of eighteenth-century egoism, for example, while Bentham epitomized the climate of nineteenth-century utilitarian reform. In recent times, however, there has been little contact between ethics and economics.1 Perhaps this is because economics has in part been assimilated to “positive science,” in the Comtean sense, while philosophers have made only tortoise progress in clarifying important societal problems of values.
Molecular Expression and Characterization of Erythroid-Specific 5-Aminolevulinate Synthase Gain-of-Function Mutations Causing X-Linked Protoporphyria

X-linked protoporphyria (XLP) (MIM 300752) is a recently recognized erythropoietic porphyria due to gain-of-function mutations in the erythroid-specific aminolevulinate synthase gene (ALAS2). Previously, two exon 11 small deletions, c.1699_1670ΔAT (ΔAT) and c.1706_1709ΔAGTG (ΔAGTG), that prematurely truncated or elongated the ALAS2 polypeptide, were reported to increase enzymatic activity 20- to 40-fold, causing the erythroid accumulation of protoporphyrins, cutaneous photosensitivity and liver disease. The mutant ΔAT and ΔAGTG ALAS2 enzymes, two novel mutations, c.1734ΔG (ΔG) and c.1642C>T (p.Q548X), and an engineered deletion c.1670-1671TC>GA p.F557X were expressed, and their purified enzymes were characterized. Wild-type and ΔAGTG enzymes exhibited similar amounts of 54- and 52-kDa polypeptides on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), whereas the ΔAT and p.F557X had only 52-kDa polypeptides. Compared to the purified wild-type enzyme, ΔAT, ΔAGTG and Q548X enzymes had increased specific activities that were only 1.8-, 3.1- and 1.6-fold, respectively. Interestingly, binding studies demonstrated that the increased activity Q548X enzyme did not bind to succinyl-CoA synthetase. The elongated ΔG enzyme had wild-type specific activity, kinetics and thermostability; twice the wild-type purification yield (56 versus 25%); and was primarily a 54-kDa form, suggesting greater stability in vivo. On the basis of studies of mutant enzymes, the maximal gain-of function region spanned 57 amino acids between 533 and 580. Thus, these ALAS2 gain-of-function mutations increased the specific activity (ΔAT, ΔAGTG and p.Q548X) or stability (ΔG) of the enzyme, thereby leading to the increased erythroid protoporphyrin accumulation causing XLP.
Update on the endoscopic management of colonic neoplasia – how endoscopy is replacing surgery

Abstract Segmental colon resection has traditionally been the treatment of choice for colonic neoplasia. However, surgery can be associated with significant short- and long-term morbidity and mortality that may not be acceptable for patients with either early or very late stage disease. Several systems for endoscopically assessing the risk of submucosal involvement with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity are now available. Appropriately selected lesions with low risk for lymph node involvement can be identified and managed with advanced endoscopic techniques such as endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection. The indications, techniques, and complications of endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection are described. In addition, we discuss new devices which have been designed to shorten the learning curve and increase the safety of these techniques. Finally, we review the use of self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) for management of advanced tumors.
Re-Evaluation of the Gravity Transfer Component of the NRC Kibble Balance

We describe a project to re-evaluate the transfer of the absolute determination of the local acceleration due to gravity from a nearby site, to the center of mass of the test mass in the NRC Kibble Balance. This re-evaluation includes the characterization of the sensitivity of a relative gravity meter to the fringing magnetic flux density, as well as the attenuation provided by a simple magnetic shield.
Minimally Invasive Partial Nephrectomy and Ablative Procedures for Small Renal Masses

Increased utilization of cross-sectional imaging has resulted in an increased incidence of small renal masses (SRMs). In turn, nephron-sparing techniques such as laparoscopy and ablation have been employed to reduce the morbidity of the traditional open nephrectomy. Most prominently, laparoscopic partial nephrectomy is now considered the gold standard treatment for SRMs <4 cm. Laparoscopic surgery itself is utilized in robotic surgery. Techniques in patient positioning, access selection, hilar clamping, and tumor resection vary from surgeon to surgeon. Complications such as pseudoaneurysms and urine leaks remain postoperative risks despite improvement in technique. Other treatment modalities such as ablative therapy are beginning to gain ground but have not become the mainstream treatments. Furthermore, the use of renal mass biopsy may shape future guidelines for personalized SRM management. Finally, future developments in imaging technology may facilitate the identification and isolation of the safest surgical approach to an SRM.
A Packetized Energy Management Macromodel With Quality of Service Guarantees for Demand-Side Resources

Using distributed energy resources (DERs), such as thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs), electric vehicles (EVs), and energy storage systems (ESSs) as a way to manage demand has been known for decades. A demand management scheme that explicitly considers the individual DER's local quality of service (QoS) is known as demand dispatch. Packetized energy management (PEM) is a demand dispatch paradigm that borrows packet-based concepts from wireless communications to dynamically manage fleets of DER at-scale and in realtime via small, discrete fixed-duration/fixed-power energy packets. PEM addresses QoS in a bottom-up fashion by having a coordinator authorize/deny incoming requests from DERs to consume energy packets. This manuscript extends prior work on modeling a large-scale population (i.e., macro-model) of homogeneous TCLs and ESSs operating under the PEM paradigm. In particular, we extend the macro-model methodology to include deferrable loads (DLs), such as EVs, together with analysis of QoS guarantees. Comparisons between an agent-based (micro-model) simulation and the proposed macro-model are presented to validate modeling accuracy and QoS guarantees.
The Internal Superior Laryngeal Nerve in Humans: Evidence for Pure Sensory Function.

Objectives To determine if the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (iSLN) provides direct motor innervation to the interarytenoid muscle, a laryngeal adductor critical for airway protection. We studied the iSLN-evoked motor response in the interarytenoid and other laryngeal muscles. If the iSLN is purely sensory, there will be no detectable short latency motor response upon supramaximal stimulation, indicating the absence of a direct efferent conduction path. Study design Intraoperative case series. Methods In seven anesthetized patients undergoing laryngectomy for unilateral laryngeal carcinoma, the iSLN of the unaffected side was electrically stimulated intraoperatively with 0.1-ms pulses of progressive intensities until supramaximal stimulation was reached. Electromyographic responses were measured in the ipsilateral interarytenoid, thyroarytenoid, and cricothyroid muscles. Results None of the subjects exhibited short-latency interarytenoid motor responses to iSLN stimulation. Supramaximal electrical stimulation of the intact iSLN evoked ipsilateral motor responses with long latencies: 18.7-38.5 ms in the interarytenoid (n = 6) and 17.8-24.9 ms in the thyroarytenoid (n = 5). Supramaximal stimulation of the recurrent laryngeal nerve evoked ipsilateral motor responses with short latencies: 1.6-3.9 ms in the interarytenoid (n = 6) and 1.6-2.7 ms in the thyroarytenoid (n = 6). Conclusion The iSLN provides no functional efferent motor innervation to the interarytenoid muscles. The iSLN exclusively evokes an interarytenoid motor response via afferent activation of central neural circuits that mediate the laryngeal reflex arc. These findings suggest that the role of the iSLN in vital laryngopharyngeal functions, such as normal swallowing and protection of the airway from aspiration, is purely sensory. Level of evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 131:E207-E211, 2021.
Usable, Acceptable, Appropriable: Towards Practicable Privacy.

A majority of the work on digital privacy and security has focused on users from developed countries who account for only around 20\% of the global population. Moreover, the privacy needs for population that is already marginalized and vulnerable differ from users who have privilege to access a greater social support system. We reflect on our experiences of introducing computers and the Internet to a group of sex-trafficking survivors in Nepal and highlight a few socio-political factors that have influenced the design space around digital privacy. These factors include the population's limited digital and text literacy skills and the fear of stigma against trafficked persons widely prevalent in Nepali society. We underscore the need to widen our perspective by focusing on practicable privacy, that is, privacy practices that are (1) usable, (2) acceptable, and (3) appropriable.
Electronic consults for improving specialty care access for veterans

Objectives We adopted e-consults within an active referral management (ARM) process for our Veterans Health Administration (VHA) outpatient cardiology clinic to reduce clinic wait times. Study design Prospective multiphase cohort study. Methods Our ARM process consisted of reviewing all incoming consult requests for our outpatient clinic and triaging the requests to either an e-consult or a clinic visit. The primary outcome was wait time for an appointment in our clinic. Results Median wait time prior to the ARM process was 24 days. After implementation of the ARM process, wait times decreased to 13 days (46% reduction). Approximately 60% of incoming consults could be triaged into e-consults, predominantly by managing stable diseases or minor symptoms. Conclusions E-consults and ARM of clinical referrals were effective at reducing wait times for our outpatient VHA cardiology clinic. The majority of clinical referrals could be handled through an e-consult and did not require an in-person clinic visit.
Robotic Surgery and Anatomic Segmentectomy: An Analysis of Trends, Patient Selection, and Outcomes.

Abstract Background It is unclear whetherrobotic segmentectomies are advantageous. We describe our experience with the robot, comparing patient populations and outcomes with videoscopic thoracic surgery (VATS) and open resection. Methods Patients who received anatomic segmentectomy from 2004-2019 were reviewed. Resection methods were categorized as robotic, VATS, or open. Segmentectomies were categorized as simple or complex. Baseline characteristics and perioperative outcomes were analyzed from 2015-2019 due to implementation of ERAS protocol. Results Since 2004, there has been an increase in segmentectomies, including robotic and complex segmentectomies. There were 222 segmentectomies from 2015-2019, of which 77(35%) were robotic, 40(18%) VATS, and 105(47%) open. Complex segmentectomies were higher in the robotic group compared to VATS and open (45% vs. 15% vs. 22%; p Conclusions Robotic segmentectomy has increased in our institution, with concurrent rise in atypical segmentectomies. Despite performing more complex procedures, there were no conversions, and low perioperative morbidity and mortality. Our results suggest that the robotic platform can facilitate performance of complex anatomic segmentectomies.
Hyperpolarized Dihydroxyacetone Is a Sensitive Probe of Hepatic Gluconeogenic State

Type II diabetes and pre-diabetes are widely prevalent among adults. Elevated serum glucose levels are commonly treated by targeting hepatic gluconeogenesis for downregulation. However, direct measurement of hepatic gluconeogenic capacity is accomplished only via tracer metabolism approaches that rely on multiple assumptions, and are clinically intractable due to expense and time needed for the studies. We previously introduced hyperpolarized (HP) [2-13C]dihydroxyacetone (DHA) as a sensitive detector of gluconeogenic potential, and showed that feeding and fasting produced robust changes in the ratio of detected hexoses (6C) to trioses (3C) in the perfused liver. To confirm that this ratio is robust in the setting of treatment and hormonal control, we used ex vivo perfused mouse livers from BLKS mice (glucagon treated and metformin treated), and db/db mice. We confirm that the ratio of signal intensities of 6C to 3C in 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra post HP DHA administration is sensitive to hepatic gluconeogenic state. This method is directly applicable in vivo and can be implemented with existing technologies without the need for substantial modifications.
“Trump and racial equality in America? No pretense at all!”

This article explores the effects of the Trump administration’s racist words, policies, and behaviours on the increased racial divisions in the United States and the erosion of faith in American in...
Evaluation of Automated Treatment Planning and Organ Dose Prediction for Lung Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy.

Purposes: To evaluate whether the auto-planning (AP) module can achieve clinically acceptable treatment plans for lung stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and to evaluate the effectiveness of a dose prediction model. Methods: Twenty lung SBRT cases planned manually with 50 Gy in five fractions were replanned using the Pinnacle (Philips Radiation Oncology Systems, Fitchburg, WI) AP module according to the dose constraint tables from the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0813 protocol. Doses to the organs at risk (OAR) were compared between the manual and AP plans. Using a dose prediction model from a commercial product, PlanIQ (Sun Nuclear Corporation, Melbourne, FL), we also compared OAR doses from AP plans with predicted doses. Results: All manual and AP plans achieved clinically required dose coverage to the target volumes. The AP plans achieved equal or better OAR sparing when compared to the manual plans, most noticeable in the maximum doses of the spinal cord, ipsilateral brachial plexus, esophagus, and trachea. Predicted doses to the heart, esophagus, and trachea were highly correlated with the doses of these OARs from the AP plans with the highest correlation coefficient of 0.911, 0.823, and 0.803, respectively. Conclusion: Auto-planning for lung SBRT improved OAR sparing while keeping the same dose coverage to the tumor. The dose prediction model can provide useful planning dose guidance.
The Neural Architecture of Grammar

Linguists have mapped the topography of language behavior in many languages in intricate detail. To understand how the brain supports language function, however, we must take into account the principles and regularities of neural function. Mechanisms of neurolinguistic function cannot be inferred solely from observations of normal and impaired language. In The Neural Architecture of Grammar, Stephen Nadeau develops a neurologically plausible theory of grammatic function. He brings together principles of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and parallel distributed processing and draws on literature on language function from cognitive psychology, cognitive neuropsychology, psycholinguistics, and functional imaging to develop a comprehensive neurally based theory of language function. Nadeau reviews the aphasia literature, including cross-linguistic aphasia research, to test the model's ability to account for the findings of these empirical studies. Nadeau finds that the model readily accounts for a crucial finding in cross-linguistic studies--that the most powerful determinant of patterns of language breakdown in aphasia is the predisorder language spoken by the subject--and that it does so by conceptualizing grammatic function in terms of the statistical regularities of particular languages that are encoded in network connectivity. He shows that the model provides a surprisingly good account for many findings and offers solutions for a number of controversial problems. Moreover, aphasia studies provide the basis for elaborating the model in interesting and important ways.
Ultrasonic Characterization of a Thin Layer of Anodized Porous Aluminum Oxide

Formation by anodization of a thin porous layer of aluminum oxide (Al203) on an aluminum surface prior to bonding is required for adhesive joining of aluminum alloys [1,2]. The properties of this layer have major importance for joint strength [1,2].
Right-Financing Security Sector Reform

Security sector reform (SSR) in post-conflict environments encompasses a broad range of efforts to improve capacity, governance, performance, and sustainability. The fiscal implications of SSR decisions often are neglected, however. The negative consequences of this neglect include unsustainable reforms, the squeezing out of other vital sectors, and ultimately under-provision of security itself. This paper argues for a “right-financing” approach to SSR that strikes an appropriate balance between current needs and the goal of building a fiscally sustainable security sector. The paper offers four policy proposals: first, build fiscal dimensions of the security sector into peace agreements, post-conflict needs assessments, development strategies, and expenditure planning; second, align short-run policies with long-term budgetary realities; third, move to a “service-delivery” model based on provision of law-and-order and justice services to the citizens; and finally, strengthen international capacities to support these right-financing policies.
Chapter 13 History and Future Prospects of Camptothecin and Taxol

Publisher Summary This chapter gives a brief history of the discovery of camptothecin (CPT) and provides an overview of the current chemistry, biology, and clinical trials of CPTs. The isolation and structural elucidation of CPT was reported in 1966. The chapter discusses the relationship between the structure of CPT analogs and in vitro and in vivo activity. CPT itself and five of its analogs are now in active clinical trial. CPT, 9-nitro-CPT (9-NC, 15), and 9-amino-CPT (9-AC)—all first discovered at Research Triangle Institute (RTI)—are water insoluble. Two water soluble analogs of 10-hydroxy-CPT are currently in very intense clinical evaluation. The chapter also reviews the discovery, structure, mechanism of action, and developments occurring with CPT and paclitaxel. Taxol is one of the most promising anticancer drugs developed in recent years. In the area of taxol supply, genetic manipulations may lead to the development of rapid-growing, high-yield Taxus species.
Factors Leading to Sales Force Automation Use: A Longitudinal Analysis

Motivating the sales force to adopt and use sales force automation (SFA) technology remains an issue. If salespeople are not committed to the selling organization's technology strategies, customer alliances are hindered.Survey data were collected from a national sales force before and after the introduction of an SFA application. The results of this study indicate that salesperson attitudes (Perceived Usefulness, Attitude Toward the New System, and Compatibility) have an impact on intention to use new SFA systems prior to implementation. However, Personal Innovativeness, Attitude Toward the New System, and Facilitating Conditions have more of an effect on infusion of new SFA systems.