cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Three‐Dimensional Simulation of Moisture Diffusion in Polymer Composite Materials

Abstract This article presents a three‐dimensional Galerkin finite element methodology (GFEM) for simulating Fickian diffusion with temperature‐dependent diffusion coefficients, with particular application to moisture diffusion in composite materials. The coupled thermal and moisture diffusion problems are solved by using three‐dimensional finite element method with orthotropic diffusion coefficients and an implicit time‐stepping procedure. Both Frontal and Jacobi conjugate gradient (JCG) solution techniques are used. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the methodology and include orthotropic diffusivities and multiple material regions. Moisture diffusion within a periodic unit cell of a typical composite material is also considered. The results show that the iterative JCG method is effective and computationally inexpensive to analyze diffusion three‐dimensional diffusion problems with multiple materials.
Fostering a symbiotic handheld environment

Although researchers have already begun building the infrastructure to make a symbiotic environment of handheld systems and related devices possible, business needs will drive this technology's real growth.
Mycophenolic Acid Is a New Nox2 Inhibitor

Organ transplantation owes its spectacular development in recent decades to the introduction of immunosuppressive drugs capable of preventing allograft rejection. However, vasculopathy remains a major cause of long-term graft failure; thus, a better understanding of its mechanisms is required to improve tolerance. Because endothelial dysfunction is an early manifestation of vascular disorders, Krotz et al,1 in this issue of Hypertension , hypothesized that endothelial cells (ECs) may be directly affected by immunosuppressive treatment. Therefore, they tested 3 major classes of these drugs with distinct mechanisms of action and effects on the vasculature. The first group includes cyclosporine A (CsA) and FK506 (tacrolimus). These are inhibitors of calcineurin, a ubiquitous calcium-dependent serine and threonine phosphatase (or PP2B). Calcineurin activates transcription factors of the nuclear factor of activated T cells family responsible for expression of surface receptors, cytokines, and chemokines in lymphocytes.2 Calcineurin inhibitors thus induce immunosuppression by blocking lymphocyte proliferation. However, adverse effects include nephrotoxicity, hyperlipidemia, endothelial dysfunction, and hypertension. In the endothelium, calcineurin inhibitors can increase endothelin-1 release,2 prevent dephosphorylation and activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS),3 and increase superoxide production.4 The second type of drug used by Krotz et al1 is mycophenolic acid (MPA), an inhibitor of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase, the rate-limiting enzyme in de novo guanosine synthesis. Lymphocytes depend on this enzyme, in contrast to most other cells, including ECs, which can also use an alternative salvage pathway for guanosine synthesis. Furthermore, whereas resting lymphocytes and other cell types express one type of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase, activated lymphocytes express …
Effects in cats of inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis on cerebral vasodilation and endothelium-derived relaxing factor from acetylcholine.

We investigated the chemical identity of the endothelium-derived relaxing factor generated by acetylcholine in cerebral microvessels by studying the effects and mechanism of action of inhibitors of nitric oxide synthesis from arginine on the vasodilation and endothelium-derived relaxing factor production induced by topical application of acetylcholine in cerebral arterioles.We determined cerebral arteriolar dilation and endothelium-derived relaxing factor production by bioassay in anesthetized cats equipped with cranial windows during superfusion of 10(-7) M acetylcholine before and after administration of either NG-monomethyl L-arginine or NG-nitro-L-arginine, two inhibitors of nitric oxide synthesis.NG-Nitro-L-arginine abolished the vasodilation from acetylcholine and eliminated the production of endothelium-derived relaxing factor in the bioassay experiments. NG-Monomethyl L-arginine had no effect on the response to acetylcholine in the absence of pretreatment. However, after pretreatment with the dete...
Sleep Problems and Associated Daytime Fatigue in Community-Dwelling Older Individuals

Background. Reported fatigue has been identified as a component of frailty. The contribution of nighttime sleep quality (duration and complaints) to fatigue symptoms in community-dwelling older adults has not been evaluated. Methods. We studied 2264 men and women, aged 75‐84 years (mean 77.5 years; standard deviation [SD] 2.9), participating in the Year 5 (2001‐2002) clinic visit of the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) study. Fatigue was determined using a subscale of the Modified Piper Fatigue Scale (0‐50; higher score indicating higher fatigue). Hours of sleep per night, trouble falling asleep, waking up during the night, and waking up too early in the morning were assessed using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Results. The average fatigue score was 17.7 (SD 8.4). In multivariate models, women had a 3.8% higher fatigue score than men did. Individuals who slept � 6 hours/night had a 4.3% higher fatigue score than did those who slept 7 hours/night. Individuals with complaints of awakening too early in the morning had a 5.5% higher fatigue score than did those without these complaints. These associations remained significant after multivariate adjustment for multiple medical conditions. Conclusion. The association between self-reported short sleep duration (� 6 hours), and waking up too early and fatigue symptoms suggests that better and more effective management of sleep behaviors may help reduce fatigue in older adults.
Smoking-Attributable Mortality by Cause in the United States: Revising the CDC’s Data and Estimates

Introduction: Smoking is the leading cause of preventable mortality in the United States, but the methods and data used in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) published estimates of adult smoking-attributable mortality have not been substantially revised since their introduction in the 1980s. Methods: We employed the CDC’s general methodology for estimating smoking-attributable mortality but produced improved estimates by using recent, nationally representative relative risk data from the National Health Interview Survey—Linked Mortality Files and adjusting for confounding risk factors. We also produced estimates by smoking status and over time. Results: Our use of more recent and nationally representative relative risks tended to decrease estimates of smoking deaths for men and increased estimates for women compared with the CDC’s estimates. Adjustment for confounding factors further refined the estimates, particularly by smoking status. We estimated 200,000 smoking-attributable deaths for men and 180,000 smoking-attributable deaths for women in the United States in 2004. Estimated smoking-attributable mortality has finally begun to decline for both U.S. men and women. Conclusions: Our approach offers several substantive improvements in the estimation of smoking-attributable mortality by cause for the United States. Cigarette smoking remains a leading cause of preventable mortality in the United States, but we estimate that the number of smoking-attributable deaths has begun to decline.
Distant Wonders: The Strange and the Marvelous between Mughal India and Habsburg Iberia in the Early Seventeenth Century

The Book of Imaginary Beings, by the celebrated Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, appeared in 1969. This was the English translation of the revised and expanded second edition of an anthology of fantastical stories he had published two years before in association with Margarita Guerrero (El Libro de los seres imaginarios). According to the author, it was a “handbook of the strange creatures conceived through time and space by the human imagination,” a topic that was known to fascinate him. In fact, the success of Borges' work shows that such creatures appeared to hold as great a fascination for contemporary society as they had held over other societies many centuries before. Perhaps this brief evocation of Borges' interest in imaginary beings from other times and from all cultures—even if fantasies certainly do not hold an identical value in each historical period and the same significance in every culture—may help to demonstrate how mistaken it is to think that such ‘aberrations’ and ‘anomalies’ have entirely faded as ‘modernity’ has emerged. However, Borges did make it clear that the beings he was dealing with—whether the Indian elephant-headed god Ganesha or the monstrous Kujatha—were ‘imaginary,’ and he took care to distinguish them from other, let us say, ‘real’ entities. Such a clear demarcation has not always been feasible, and it is precisely the changing status of the ‘strange and marvelous’ that lies at the center of this essay.
Lack of acknowledgment of fruit and vegetable recommendations among nonadherent individuals: associations with information processing and cancer cognitions.

Inadequate consumption of fruits and vegetables is regarded as an important behavioral risk factor for multiple types of cancer. Nevertheless, adherence with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) guidelines to eat between five and nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day is remarkably low. The current study explored the extent to which nonadherent respondents in a national survey (N = 5,625) listed fruit and vegetable consumption as a method by which to decrease their own or others' cancer risk. We sought to determine whether respondents who listed fruit and vegetable consumption as a method by which to decrease their own or others' cancer risk (hereafter referred to as “listers”) differed from respondents who did not list fruit and vegetable consumption as a method by which to decrease their own or others' cancer risk (hereafter referred to as) “nonlisters” on measures of information processing and cancer cognitions. Nonlisters were more likely than listers to seek out cancer information but less lik...
Impact of the maximum foam reaction temperature on reducing foam shrinkage

One of the obstacles to displacing petroleum-based polyols with soy-based polyols in rigid urethane foam formulations is foam shrinkage, especially at displacements greater than 50%. The shrinkage is a result of partial vacuums forming in the closed-cell foam as reaction temperatures dissipate. It was hypothesized that the shrinkage was in part due to inadequate curing of the foam which was due to lower maximum-attained temperatures during the near-adiabatic foaming process. Foam formulation studies were performed to evaluate the correlation of peak temperature foam shrinkage. Two approaches were evaluated to increase peak temperatures: (a) preheating of the monomers prior to reaction and (b) use of bio-based glycerol as a co-reagent to increase the mixture hydroxyl number and respective maximum temperatures. The results show that as the maximum reaction temperature increases, foam shrinkage decreases. Both preheating and use of a glycerol co-reagent were effective for increasing peak temperatures and decreasing shrinkage. Experimental results were supplemented with a simulation of the foaming process to better understand the fundamental phenomena and to evaluate the effectiveness of the simulation to evaluate approaches to better utilize bio-based monomers in thermoset polymers.
Larval conjunctivitis: A case report

Presented is a case of acute bilateral conjunctivitis in a healthy 28-year-old man with signs and symptoms resembling those of catarrhal conjunctivitis but resulting from infestation with larvae of the sheep nasal botfly The patient was treated with neomycin ointment and neomycin/hydrocortisone ophthalmic solution. While not a common cause of conjunctivitis, larval conjunctivitis requires prompt identification in order to institute specific and unique therapy that will prevent serious morbidity.
Analog Signal Processing for Heart Rate Extraction

Heart rate variability (HRV) studies have shown that beat-to-beat interval variability is a strong indicator of a number of medical conditions, including heart failure, diabetes, and hypertension. Current HRV systems typically analyze pre-recorded high resolution ECG recordings. We have demonstrated an analog signal processing circuit which extracts real-time HRV data from EGC signals producing a simple output voltage that is more easily monitored or recorded. The system is accurate and can be produced as a compact low-cost device that can make HRV monitoring more practical for home based health care and implantable devices
The Surveys that Broke Monopoly

When a trademark becomes the common descriptive name of the type of article with which it has been associated, the owner of the mark loses the exclusive right to its use. The genericness doctrine marks the only place in the law of intellectual property in which success is punished rather than rewarded. Many terms that were once trademarks have long since become assimilated into ordinary speech. Trampoline, yo-yo, brassiere, and escalator were once registered trademarks. The word "thermos" began as the trade name of one particular brand of bottle that kept cold liquids cold and hot liquids hot. At one time, only Bayer used the word "aspirin," only DuPont used "cellophane." Last year, the Ninth Circuit decided that Parker Brothers no longer had the exclusive right to the word "monopoly" as a trademark for its real estate trading game.' Although the court did not
COMPETITIVE DISPLACEMENT AND REDUCTION

Competitive displacement and reduction is based on a well established ecological principle wherein one species diminishes the abundance of another, usually related, species by means of competition. Unanticipated occurrences of competitive reductions are reasonably well documented among native and invasive populations of mosquitoes, especially when affected by human interventions. As confirmed by a recent review on arthropods (Reitz and Trumble 2002), larval resource or interference competition appears to be the most prevalent mechanism effecting displacement. The potential of competitive reduction for biological control is relatively untested and requires further ecological research.
Deep Knowledge Expert System for Diagnosis of Multiple-Failure Severe Transients in Nuclear Power Plant

TAMUS (Transient Analysis of MUltiple-failure Simulations) is a prototype expert system which is the result of a project investigating and implementing event confidence-levels (used by reactor safety experts in reactor transient analysis) in the form of an expert system. Currently, TAMUS is designed to diagnose reactor transients by analyzing simulated sensor and plant thermal hydraulic information from a system simulation. TAMUS uses a knowledge base of existing emergency nuclear plant operating guidelines and detailed thermal-hydraulic calculation results correlated to confidence-levels. TAMUS can diagnose a number of reactor transients (for example, loss-of-coolant accidents, steam-generator-tube ruptures, loss-of-offsite power, etc.). Future work includes the expansion of the knowledge base and improvement of the “deep-knowledge” qualitative models.
Injury prevention in children

Injuries are the leading cause of death in children. Approximately 23,000 children are killed each year in the United States, and many more suffer from nonlethal injuries. This article discusses general principles of effective intervention strategies, the most serious injury categories, and practical injury prevention advice for primary care physicians.
Development of a Novel c-MET-Based CTC Detection Platform.

Amplification of the MET oncogene is associated with poor prognosis, metastatic dissemination, and drug resistance in many malignancies. We developed a method to capture and characterize circulating tumor cells (CTCs) expressing c-MET using a ferromagnetic antibody. Immunofluorescence was used to characterize cells for c-MET, DAPI, and pan-CK, excluding CD45+ leukocytes. The assay was validated using appropriate cell line controls spiked into peripheral blood collected from healthy volunteers (HVs). In addition, peripheral blood was analyzed from patients (pts) with metastatic: gastric, pancreatic, colorectal, bladder, renal, or prostate cancers. CTCs captured by c-MET were enumerated, and DNA FISH for MET amplification was performed. The approach was highly sensitive (80%) for MET-amplified cells, sensitive (40-80%) for c-MET-overexpressed cells, and specific (100%) for both c-MET negative cells and in 20 HVs. Of 52 pts with metastatic carcinomas tested, c-MET CTCs were captured in replicate samples from 3 pts (gastric, colorectal, and renal cell carcinoma) with 6% prevalence. CTC FISH demonstrated MET amplification in both gastric and colorectal cancer pts and trisomy 7 with gain of MET gene copies in the RCC pt. The c-MET CTC assay is a rapid, non- invasive, sensitive and specific method for detecting MET amplified tumor cells. CTCs with MET amplification can be detected in patients with gastric, colorectal, and renal cancers. Implications: This study developed a novel c-MET CTC assay for detecting c-MET CTCs in patients with MET amplification and warrants further investigation to determine its clinical applicability.
A Revision of the Nearctic Stomatosematidi (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyiinae)

The genera Didactylomyia and Stomatosema are redescribed and, together, raised to the level of a supertribe, the Stomatosematidi. It is shown to have more in common with the Cecidomyiidi than with the Oligotrophidi in which the 2 genera were formerly included. The Nearctic fauna consists of Didactylomyia longimana, which has 3 new synonyms, and 3 species of Stomatosema, S. robustum (Felt), n. comb., S. obscura (Mamaev), n. comb., a new Nearctic record, and S. trichodera Gagne, new species. Vanchidiplosis is considered a new synonym of Stomatosema .
Isolation of a novel complement regulatory factor (GCRF) from glomerular epithelial cells.

Isolation of a novel complement regulatory factor (GCRF) from glomerular epithelial cells. Cultured rat glomerular epithelial cells (GEC) are able to prevent both antibody-directed and spontaneous (alternative pathway) complement activation. In this study, a novel complement regulatory factor (GCRF) was isolated from GEC. The ability to accelerate the decay of alternative pathway C3/C5 convertases formed on sheep erythrocytes (EC3bBbP) was used to guide purification. GEC were solubilized in Triton X-114 and GCRF was recovered in the aqueous phase. Complement inhibitory material also was present in the culture supernatant, which likely represented GCRF. By Mono Q anion exchange chromatography, GCRF eluted at ≥ 0.6 m NaCl and by Superose 6 size-exclusion chromatography, it had a K av ≤ 0.3. GCRF reduced the t 1/2 of EC3bBbP from 128 minutes in buffer alone to 41 minutes in μg/ml GCRF protein, and also prevented formation of EC3bBbP in a dose-dependent fashion. Digestion with chondroitinase ABC, neuraminidase, or trypsin, but not with heparitinase or chondroitinase AC significantly reduced the activity and size of GCRF, demonstrating that it is a sialic acid-containing dermatan sulfate proteoglycan. Thus, cultured rat GEC synthesize and secrete into the medium, GCRF, a dermatan sulfate proteoglycan with complement inhibitory activity.
Comparative Density Measurements for Solid Specimens Weighing a Few Milligrams.

A density comparison technique previously described has been used to compare the densities of tungsten wires weighing about 1.3 mg to within a few percent error. For larger, less dense specimens the expected random error of a few parts in 104 was confirmed by comparing the known densities of Si and CaF2.
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic literature review.

ObjectiveTo determine risk factors for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, and understand how underlying disease or treatment for SLE may be associated with PML in this population.MethodsStudies published in English between January 1, 1984 and October 31, 2014 that reported PML in adult SLE patients were included. Immunosuppression was defined as exposure to ≥1 immunosuppressant drug of interest at PML diagnosis: belimumab, rituximab, mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and high-dose corticosteroids (>15 mg/day). Minimal immunosuppression was defined as low-dose corticosteroids (≤15 mg/day) and/or anti-malarials.ResultsThirty-five publications met our inclusion criteria: four observational studies, two large case series, and 29 case reports that described 35 cases. Reported PML incidence rates among SLE patients based on observational studies ranged from 1.0 to 2.4 cases/100,000 person-years. Of the 35 case report...
Small mammal communities in a rapidly developing southern Indian city

© Zoo Outreach Organisation; www.zoosprint.org Manuscript 1139; Received 10 January 2004; Revised received 28 October 2005; Finally accepted 09 January 2006; Date of publication 21 January 2006 2152 February 2006 | ISSN 0973-2535 (Print edition); 0973-2551 (Online edition) ABSTRACT Four sites around Bangalore city were chosen for survey of non-volant small mammals (rodents and insectivores). The sites were chosen in scrub patches and plantations that are typical of Bangalore landscape. Species composition, population and microhabitat preference were studied. The study assessed changes in species composition and community structure with the change in land use patterns and levels of anthropogenic disturbances. In areas of high anthropogenic disturbance, number of species, and abundance was recorded to be very low, as compared to areas of relatively low disturbance. Shivanahalli (least disturbed site, and most representative of wild habitats around Bangalore) recorded seven species, with Cremnomys blanfordi and Rattus rattus wroughtoni being dominant. Microhabitat preference was studied only in Shivanahalli, as the other sites did not have sufficient captures for analysis. Most of the captures were recorded in rocky areas, with dense shrub cover. The two dominant species appeared to avoid each other’s territories.
Chemical perturbation of Mcl-1 pre-mRNA splicing to induce apoptosis in cancer cells

The myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL1) gene encodes antiapoptotic Mcl-1L and proapoptotic Mcl-1S proteins. In cancer, the Mcl-1L/Mcl-1S ratio is very high, accounting for the antiapoptotic nature of cancer cells. As such, reducing this ratio can render the cancer cells prone to apoptosis. The Mcl-1L/Mcl-1S ratio is determined in the alternative pre-mRNA splicing step that is regulated by splicing factor 3B1 (SF3B1). Here, we report that meayamycin B, a potent inhibitor of SF3B1, reversed the dominant isoform from Mcl-1L to Mcl-1S at the mRNA and protein levels. The resulting proapoptotic cellular environment was further exploited; when meayamycin B was combined with Bcl-xL inhibitor ABT-737, the combination treatment triggered apoptosis in nonsmall cell lung cancer A549 and H1299 cells that were otherwise resistant to ABT-737. These results demonstrate that perturbation of the MCL1 splicing with small molecule inhibitors of SF3B1 provides a means to sensitize cancer cells toward Bcl-xL inhibitors.
Defective chemotactic migration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in Pelger-Huet anomaly.

SummaryA decreased chemotactic migration of PMN in vivo and in vitro was observed in PMN from five individuals with P-H anomaly in a family. The decreased chemotactic migration was more pronounced when the PMN were made to migrate through a filter paper with small pore size. The decreased migration may be in part due to the mechanical hindrance of the large unsegmented nucleus to the migration of the cells.We thank Dr. Elliot F. Ellis, Professor and Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, for his support and guidance throughout this investigation.A portion of this report was presented in the annual meeting of the Federation of the American Society for Experimental Biology on April 13, 1976.This work was supported in part by Grants HL-19628-01 and BRS-342.23.148 from the NIH.
Potentially lethal ventricular arrhythmias. Minimizing the danger.

PreviewYour examination of a patient with impaired ventricular function reveals runs of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia. How great is the risk of sudden death? Should you prescribe an antiarrhythmic agent? Dr Wood addresses these vital questions and more in this thought-provoking article.
Thor visits Lexington

During crises and other extreme weather events citizens need instructional information in order to learn about risks and take protective action. Social media are being increasingly utilized in crisis situations for information seeking and acquisition. The current study explores the difference between the amount of instructional information that is catalogued on public safety websites and the amount of instructional information that is shared through the Twitter accounts of the representative safety organizations during multiple winter storms. Because of the repetitive nature (two major storms only weeks apart) of the 2015 winter storms in Lexington, KY, the difference in information sharing between storms was also explored. An analysis of 400 tweets and the respective websites of public safety organizations found a sizable knowledge-sharing gap within some organizations, and that instructional communication decreased during the second storm even though the second storm was more severe. Practical suggestions are offered for emergency managers and practitioners. Social media is not being used to its full potential.There is a substantial gap between known and shared risk information.Instructional information decreased from one storm to another.
New Insights into Dialysis Vascular Access: Introduction

Optimizing vascular access outcomes continues to pose a tremendous challenge to nephrologists, surgeons, and radiologists who provide medical care to patients on hemodialysis. There is a huge discrepancy between the optimal vascular access outcome proposed by national guidelines ([1][1]) and the
Failure investigation of a die crack on a CMOS low dropout regulator device

There are recent failures on a Low Dropout (LDO) Regulator where the customer is experiencing an out of specification output voltage. This paper aims to investigate the exact root cause of the failure by detailed failure analysis and relating the customer complaint to the die crack observed.
Identifying Discrete Subgroups of Chronically Homeless Frequent Utilizers of Jail and Public Mental Health Services

A sizable group of individuals in the United States cycle in and out of jails, prisons, mental health hospitals, homeless shelters, and other expensive public institutions over time. This little-st...
Quantitative Computer-Aided Diagnostic Algorithm for Automated Detection of Peak Lesion Attenuation in Differentiating Clear Cell From Papillary and Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma, Oncocytoma, and Fat-Poor Angiomyolipoma on Multiphasic Multidetector Computed Tomography

To evaluate the performance of a novel, quantitative computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) algorithm on four-phase multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) to detect peak lesion attenuation to enable differentiation of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) from chromophobe RCC (chRCC), papillary RCC (pRCC), oncocytoma, and fat-poor angiomyolipoma (fp-AML). We queried our clinical databases to obtain a cohort of histologically proven renal masses with preoperative MDCT with four phases [unenhanced (U), corticomedullary (CM), nephrographic (NP), and excretory (E)]. A whole lesion 3D contour was obtained in all four phases. The CAD algorithm determined a region of interest (ROI) of peak lesion attenuation within the 3D lesion contour. For comparison, a manual ROI was separately placed in the most enhancing portion of the lesion by visual inspection for a reference standard, and in uninvolved renal cortex. Relative lesion attenuation for both CAD and manual methods was obtained by normalizing the CAD peak lesion attenuation ROI (and the reference standard manually placed ROI) to uninvolved renal cortex with the formula [(peak lesion attenuation ROI − cortex ROI)/cortex ROI] × 100%. ROC analysis and area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess diagnostic performance. Bland–Altman analysis was used to compare peak ROI between CAD and manual method. The study cohort comprised 200 patients with 200 unique renal masses: 106 (53%) ccRCC, 32 (16%) oncocytomas, 18 (9%) chRCCs, 34 (17%) pRCCs, and 10 (5%) fp-AMLs. In the CM phase, CAD-derived ROI enabled characterization of ccRCC from chRCC, pRCC, oncocytoma, and fp-AML with AUCs of 0.850 (95% CI 0.732–0.968), 0.959 (95% CI 0.930–0.989), 0.792 (95% CI 0.716–0.869), and 0.825 (95% CI 0.703–0.948), respectively. On Bland–Altman analysis, there was excellent agreement of CAD and manual methods with mean differences between 14 and 26 HU in each phase. A novel, quantitative CAD algorithm enabled robust peak HU lesion detection and discrimination of ccRCC from other renal lesions with similar performance compared to the manual method.
Outplanting performance of mycorrhizal inoculated seedlings

Many references and unpublished data on outplanting performance of mycorrhizal inoculated seedlings are summarized. Two comprehensive tables are presented, one by fungus and one by host plant, as ready references to the literature for reforestation workers and scientists studying the effects of mycorrhizal inoculation on seedling performance after out-planting in the field. Pisolithus tinctorius is the most extensively studied mycorrhizal fungus, and Pinus spp. have received the most attention for host plants. A more thorough investigation is needed of other fungus-host combinations to better predict when and where mycorrhizal inoculation is beneficial to seedling outplanting performance.
Interest on reserves, regime shifts, and bank behavior

Abstract This paper demonstrates that in the post-2008 environment with interest on reserves, monetary policy actions can generate regime shifts that yield quantitatively and even qualitatively different responses of bank balance-sheet configurations and loan and deposit market outcomes to exogenous changes. In contrast to the view that a one-time structural change occurred in 2008, switching between several different regimes plausibly can arise depending upon settings of the reserve ratio, federal funds rate, and the interest rate on reserves. Our results explain stylized facts regarding excess reserves and interbank lending. Analysis with calibrated values indicates that such regime switching has occurred.
Assessing Collaborative Problem Solving Through Conversational Agents

Communication is a core component of collaborative problem solving and its assessment. Advances in computational linguistics and discourse science have made it possible to analyze conversation on multiple levels of language and discourse in different educational settings. Most of these advances have focused on tutoring contexts in which a student and a tutor collaboratively solve problems, but there has also been some progress in analyzing conversations in small groups. Naturalistic patterns of collaboration in one-on-one tutoring and in small groups have also been compared with theoretically ideal patterns. Conversation-based assessment is currently being applied to measure various competencies, such as literacy, mathematics, science, reasoning, and collaborative problem solving. One conversation-based assessment approach is to design computerized conversational agents that interact with the human in natural language. This chapter reports research that uses one or more agents to assess human competencies while the humans and agents collaboratively solve problems or answer difficult questions. AutoTutor holds a collaborative dialogue in natural language and concurrently assesses student performance. The agent converses through a variety of dialogue moves: questions, short feedback, pumps for information, hints, prompts for specific words, corrections, assertions, summaries, and requests for summaries. Trialogues are conversations between the human and two computer agents that play different roles (e.g., peer, tutor, expert). Trialogues are being applied in both training and assessment contexts on particular skills and competencies. Agents are currently being developed at Educational Testing Service for assessments of individuals on various competencies, including the Programme for International Student Assessment 2015 assessment of collaborative problem solving.
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of Atomic Scale Phonon Standing Waves in Quasi-freestanding WSe2 Monolayers

Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) we observed atomic scale interference patterns on quasi-freestanding WSe2 islands grown on top of graphene. The bias-independent double atomic size periodicity of these patterns and the sharp Brillouin zone edge revealed by 2D STM Fourier analysis indicate formation of optical phonon standing waves due to scattering on intercalating defects supporting these islands. Standing wave patterns of both synchronized and non-synchronized optical phonons, corresponding to resonant and non-resonant phonon scattering regimes, were experimentally observed. We also found the symmetry breaking effect for individual phonon wave packets, one of the unique features distinguishing phonon standing waves. We show that vibrational and electronic anharmonicities are responsible for STM detection of these patterns. A significant contribution to the interference contrast arises from quantum zero-point oscillations.
Comparison of Clinical Outcomes Following Head and Neck Surgery Among Patients Who Contract to Abstain From Alcohol vs Patients Who Abuse Alcohol

Importance Alcohol abuse is highly prevalent in the population of patients with head and neck cancer, and active abuse at the time of surgery results in poor postoperative outcomes. Objective To determine the association of alcohol abstinence with postoperative outcome in alcohol misusers undergoing major surgical procedures of the head and neck. Design, Setting, and Participants As a case-control study, from July 2013 to August 2015, outcomes were collected in patients at an academic tertiary referral center requiring free flap reconstruction who had undergone an abstinence contract (n = 15) and compared with those who were abusers of alcohol prior to the inception of the protocol (n = 30). Interventions Our institution developed a clinical protocol in which patients who are misusers of alcohol are educated and voluntarily asked to sign an alcohol abstinence contract agreeing to be abstinent of alcohol a minimum of 7 days prior to surgery. Main Outcomes and Measures Rate of alcohol withdrawal, length of stay, return to operating room, and readmission within 30 days were determined from medical record review. Results In the contracted group (15 patients), the mean age was 62 years, and 12 were male; in the control group (30 patients), the mean age was 58 years, and 26 were male. In both cohorts, no statistically significant difference was found between initial staging, surgery performed, and preoperative morbid conditions. The alcohol abstinence contracted group had an average of 14.8 days of abstinence prior to surgery. Abstinence was achieved at home for 11 patients, in a detoxification facility for 2 patients, and with preoperative admission for 2 patients. In direct comparisons between the groups, the rates of alcohol withdrawal (63% vs 0%; difference, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.33-0.85), delirium (73% vs 0%; difference, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.45-0.92), cellulitis (43% vs 7%; difference, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.04-0.64), and wound dehiscence (67% vs 13%; difference, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.22-0.79) were higher in the noncontracted group vs the contracted group. Furthermore, hospital stay (median 13 days vs 9 days; difference, 5 days; 95% CI, 3-7 days) and time lapse to starting adjuvant radiation therapy (median, 60.0 days vs 42.5 days; difference, 15 days; 95% CI, 5.0-25 days) were statistically and clinically significantly longer in the noncontracted group vs the contracted group. Conclusions and Relevance An alcohol abstinence program for surgically treated patients is safe and seems to be effective in reducing morbidity and improve outcomes.
Role model behaviors in the clinical setting.

The purpose of this study was to identify the role modeling behaviors of clinical nursing faculty that junior and senior baccalaureate students consider important. Bandura's Social Learning Theory provided the theoretical framework for the three research questions. A questionnaire, composed of 28 role model behaviors, was constructed to correspond to the three research questions. The overall alpha coefficient for the questionnaire was .95. The findings of this study indicate that clinical faculty are considered role models by their students. Students perceived themselves as practicing the role model behaviors, but they also perceived that the clinical faculty were inconsistent in rewarding them for their attempts to emulate those behaviors considered important. Areas for future research are discussed.
Injection of inactive Bordetella pertussis and complete Freund's adjuvant with Torpedo californica AChR increases the occurrence of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis in C57BL/6 mice.

An animal model of myasthenia gravis (MG), termed experimental autoimmune MG (EAMG), is an important tool for investigations of disease mechanisms and/or methods of treatment for this disease. EAMG...
Food and microbiota in the FDA regulatory framework

New understanding of how our gut microbial communities (microbiota) transform dietary ingredients into metabolic products that affect human biology is altering our definitions of the nutritional value of foods ( 1 , 2 ). We are coming to appreciate how much formation of the gut microbiota during early postnatal life and the traits encoded by its several million microbial genes (microbiome) are important determinants of healthy growth and of our metabolic, physiologic, immune, and perhaps neurologic phenotypes ( 3 , 4 ). These advances are spawning efforts to develop foods that promote healthy microbiota development during early postnatal life, prevent the loss of microbial diversity associated with Western diets, and repair abnormalities associated with various disease states ( 5 – 8 ). But given the mechanisms by which such microbiota-directed foods (MDFs) may achieve their desired effects, the existing U.S. regulatory framework presents challenges in determining how MDFs should be classified. How these challenges are addressed will affect innovation incentives, product quality, consumer access, and public health. Although approaches to regulation vary among countries ( 9 ), we focus on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because of its global influence and because the products it regulates are often widely distributed.
The combined effects of genetic risk and perceived discrimination on blood pressure among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study

AbstractBoth genomics and environmental stressors play a significant role in increases in blood pressure (BP). In an attempt to further explain the hypertension (HTN) disparity among African Americans (AA), both genetic underpinnings (selected candidate genes) and stress due to perceived racial disc
No Joke: Trump and Humor

Since the contributions to this Special Issue consist of relatively brief statements, the Editorial Board of Konturen has decided to forego abstracts this time around. Please click on "html" or "pdf" below for the full document of this essay.
Primary orbital melanoma treated with orbital exenteration and postoperative radiotherapy: A case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND We report on a patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive disease with a primary orbital melanoma treated with surgery and adjuvant radiation. METHODS A 53-year-old woman with HIV-positive disease presented with left-sided progressive ipsilateral vision loss and proptosis. An MRI scan revealed a mass-enhancing lesion measuring 2.1 × 2.6 × 2.5 cm abutting the optic nerve. The patient underwent left orbital exenteration with temporalis flap reconstruction, pathology revealing malignant melanoma, stage T1N0M0. Posterior margins were positive and lymphovascular invasion was present; therefore, the patient received adjuvant radiation to a total dose of 70 Gy in 35 fractions. RESULTS The patient remains with no evidence of disease (NED) at a follow-up time of 3.5 years. CONCLUSION Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment in patients with primary orbital melanomas, and adjuvant radiotherapy should be considered for those with positive margins or other risk factors for recurrence. We present a patient with significant risk factors with NED at 3.5-year follow-up.
Large-Scale Environmental Characteristics of MJOs that Strengthen and Weaken over the Maritime Continent

AbstractThe characteristics of Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) events that strengthen and weaken over the Maritime Continent (MC) are examined. The real-time multivariate MJO (RMM) index is used to...
Monitoring the changes in the microstructure and the elastic and transport properties of Eagle Ford marl during maturation

Organic-rich marl is one of the best unconventional reservoirs because of its high calcite and low clay content leading to relatively high permeability and frackability. However, how its stiff pores and relatively high permeability affect the changes in its microstructure and elastic and transport properties during maturation remains a research interest. We induced ex-situ maturation of organic-rich marl core plugs by conducting confined pyrolysis in fine-steps across the maturity windows from immature through the early-peak oil, late oil, wet gas, and finally the dry gas window. This was performed under both high and low confining pressures on different samples in order to investigate the role of confining pressure during maturation. After each pyrolysis, we monitored the changes in microstructure, porosity, velocity, permeability, and geochemical properties. The results show increasing porosity, decreasing velocity, and increasing permeability as the maturation progresses. The time-lapse scanning electr...
Goodness-of-Fit Tests Based on Record Data and Generalized Ranked Set Data

Assume that observations have common distribution functionF.We wish to testH: F = F 0 where F 0 is a completely specified distribution. Two kinds of data are considered: (i) The firstk+1record values X(0), X( 1 )... X (k) or possibly several independent sets of records based on observations with distributionF.(ii) Generalized ranked set data, i.e.Jindependent order statistics Xij:nj; with common parent distributionF.Several appropriate goodness-offit tests are described and evaluated by simulation studies. The more general problem dealing with the composite hypothesisH : FΘ {F(.;θ): θΘ}is also discussed.
Some High Electric Field Effects in Nematic Liquid Crystals

A model to explain molecular alignment and material flow due to electric fields (conduction regime) in nematic liquid crystals has been discussed previously. This model involves the formation of walls (defects) perpendicular to the electrodes and shear flow alignment. In much of the earlier work fields of a few hundred V/cm were applied to samples that were initially well ordered, but observations are reported here that clearly indicate walls for continuously applied fields up to 12,000 V/cm in a sample with an electrode separation of 0.5 cm. Observation at the free surface and the electrode-liquid crystal interface indicate that these walls are separated by approximately 0.05 cm and extend vertically an appreciable distance into the sample. For continuously applied fields in bulk sample, walls are more observed at several thousand V/cm then at lower fields. This work on bulk samples is related to dynamic scattering (primary and secondary) in thin samples.
Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir Effectively Treats Hepatitis C Virus Infections in an Underserved Population

Underserved populations have an unequal burden of HCV infections and poor outcomes with interferon-based treatments. Direct-acting antivirals have the potential to reduce these inequalities. We aimed to estimate sustained virologic response (SVR) following treatment with sofosbuvir-based regimens for HCV infections among underserved individuals and summarize the frequency of SVR across published studies of underserved populations. We used data from a clinical cohort of patients aged ≥ 18 years who initiated sofosbuvir-based regimens for HCV infection between February 2014 and June 2016 at an urban public hospital network that serves as the healthcare safety-net for Tarrant County, Texas. We estimated SVR with corresponding 95% confidence limits (CL). In addition, we systematically reviewed the evidence to identify other studies of direct-acting antivirals among underserved populations. Our study population comprised 435 patients. The majority of patients were aged ≥ 50 years (76%), male (52%), non-Hispanic White (54%), HCV genotype 1 (79%) and treated with ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (69%). Overall SVR was 89% (95% CL 86, 92%) and highest for ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (SVR = 95%, 95% CL 92, 97%). The reported SVR following direct-acting antivirals among 837 underserved patients from three other studies ranged between 90 and 99%. Our results suggest that direct-acting antivirals, particularly ledipasvir/sofosbuvir, are generally effective for achieving SVR among underserved patients with HCV infections and may help reduce inequalities in HCV prevalence and outcomes for this vulnerable population.
Trimodality therapy for esophageal cancer at high volume facilities is associated with improved postoperative outcomes and overall survival.

Trimodality therapy is the standard of care for locally advanced resectable esophageal cancer (EC) but carries morbidity and mortality risks; thus, therapy at high-volume facilities (HVFs) may offer advantages. This investigation studied postoperative outcomes and overall survival (OS) in EC patients receiving trimodality therapy at HVFs versus lower-volume facilities (LVFs). The National Cancer Data Base was queried for patients with locally advanced EC receiving trimodality therapy. HVFs referred to the 90th percentile of case volume. Multivariate logistic regression determined factors associated with treatment at HVFs, the Kaplan-Meier analysis compared OS between the HVF and LVF groups, and the Cox proportional hazards modeling determined variables associated with OS. Sensitivity analysis evaluated the impact of varying the HVF definition cutoff on OS. A total of 3,229 patients met study criteria, including 330 (10%) treated at HVFs and 2,899 (90%) at LVFs. Treatment at HVFs was associated with decreased 30-day mortality (1.2% vs. 3.3%, P = 0.044) and trends toward lower 90-day mortality (4.8% vs. 7.8%, P = 0.055) and the length of postoperative hospitalization (11.2 vs. 12.3d, P = 0.059). HVF patients experienced higher median OS (55 vs. 36 months, P = 0.004), which also independently correlated on the Cox multivariate analysis (P = 0.001). Sensitivity analysis showed similar results as the HVF/LVF cutoff was decreased until the 80th percentile. This is the first study demonstrating that the trimodality management of EC at HVFs is associated with improved postoperative outcomes and survival. These data have implications for multidisciplinary oncologic providers, in addition to patient counseling by both referring and treating clinicians.