cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Calibration of a parametric model of an optical microscope

In micro-domain applications, such as assembly of hybrid mi- croelectromechanical systems, optical microscopes form a critical com- ponent of visually based microassembly systems. In order to effectively use vision feedback to guide manipulation strategies using a broad range of optical microscope configurations, accurately calibrated para- metric models of optical microscopes are required. Although many cali- bration techniques exist for macroscopic camera-lens systems, there is a dearth of literature on calibration of parametric microscope models. Op- tical microscope calibration has unique characteristics that are quite dif- ferent from normal camera calibration, including (1) unique calibration parameters; (2) calibration patterns that must be parallel to the image plane, and (3) restriction to single-plane calibration. In this paper, we propose a parametric microscope model and calibration algorithm spe- cifically for optical microscopes. Our approach extends existing camera calibration techniques to include the unique parameters of optical micro- scopes and also allows the use of a single calibration plane perpendicu- lar to the optical axis. The validity and accuracy of our proposed micro- scope calibration method are tested by experiments. © 1999 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. (S0091-3286(99)02412-5)
Analyzing cultural contexts for communication

Communication takes place within complex cultural contexts of competing understanding, values, interests and needs. Communication professionals take these contexts into account when making decisions about their documents and products, but they often make these complex analyses using tacit information, i.e. information that has not been explicitly elaborated either to themselves or to others. This paper elaborates some cultural analysis tools that are useful for understanding communication contexts, whether within an organization or an ethnic national group. These tools can include expressions of world knowledge and expectations, expressions of values, shared background information, concepts of time, expectations about personal information, and physical working conditions. By explicitly using some of these analysis tools, communication professionals can make more informed decisions when dealing with people in different countries, different companies, or even different divisions of a company.
Branched-Chain Amino Acid-Enriched Nutritional Support in Surgical and Cancer Patients

Prolonged surgical stress and advanced malignant disease lead to systemic catabolism characterized by depletion of muscle protein and oxidation of skeletal muscle BCAA. BCAA oxidation provides energy for muscle and other organs and is the precursor for amino acid synthesis to replenish alanine and glutamine depleted in catabolic states. Persistent excessive catabolism leads to skeletal muscle wasting, negative nitrogen balance, and immune compromise. BCAAs, especially leucine, stimulate protein synthesis, inhibit proteolysis (in cell culture models and in animals), and promote glutamine synthesis. A number of small and diverse clinical trials studied the effects of BCAA-enriched nutritional support in moderately to severely stressed surgical and cancer patients. The findings of these clinical trials have been inconsistent; some show improved nitrogen balance, increased skeletal muscle protein synthesis, and reduced skeletal muscle catabolism whereas others show no significant improvement. The value of these trials is compromised by small sample size, heterogeneous patients, poor study design, varying degrees of metabolic stress, and inappropriate endpoints. More recent trials that evaluate clinical outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma patients show promising results; in addition to improving metabolic parameters, BCAA-enriched oral supplementation improved morbidity and quality of life in patients undergoing major liver resection and chemo-embolization. In summary, the role of BCAAs in the nutritional support of stressed surgical and cancer patients remains to be clearly defined, despite their potential beneficial biological properties.
On subgroups of amalgamated free products

In 1934 Kurosh(9) proved that ‘a subgroup of a free product of groups is again a free product’. Many other proofs of this, and attempts to generalize it to amalgamated free products, have appeared (e.g. (7), (1), (10) and (8)). Recently the theory of groupoids has been applied to this area with increasing success. In 1966 Higgins (6) used groupoids to prove the generalization of Grushko's Theorem (3) due to Wagner (14).
College student drinking: Perception of the norm and behavioral intentions

Social norm campaigns assume that college students desire to increase their drinking, and may eventually do so, to match inflated perceptions of peer drinking. We assessed 171 college students on self-reported drinking, desired drinking and perception of peer drinking at baseline, and assessed 139 of those students one month later. Participants who believed their peers drank more than they were hypothesized to desire to increase their alcohol consumption to match the perceived norm. This hypothesis was not supported; however, 91% of participants believed their peers drank more than themselves. It was also hypothesized that participants who wished to drink more would drink more in the future. Participants who desired to increase their drinking did not report a significant change in drinking behavior one month later, but participants who initially desired to maintain or decrease their drinking reported significant decreases across the following month. College student overestimation of peer drinking and the college environment are discussed. Social norm campaigns should consider behavioral intentions, and the underlying assumptions of these campaigns should be further tested.
High speed counterflow-clocked pipelining illustrated on the design of HDTV subband vector quantizer chips

VLSI chips suffer from exaggerated clock skew problems when the clock rate reaches several hundred MHz. To overcome this problem, back-propagating clock signals, the use of which is usually avoided (due to extended clock period) but known to be safe, can be exploited, resulting in a new pipelining method. We named this Counterflow-Clocked (C/sup 2/) Pipelining. The major advantages of this new method are: easier distribution of high speed clocks, shorter clock period due to the absence of global clock signals, natural use of dynamic latches, less internally generated noise due to uniformly distributed latch operations, etc. Composition rules were developed. The use of these rules enabled us to build a system with two-dimensional data-flow in C/sup 2/ pipelining employing a tree of inverter chains for clock distribution. C/sup 2/ pipelining was used to design an HDTV chip set with several design innovations, demonstrating the applicability and viability of the technology. This paper introduces C/sup 2/ pipelining and discusses its usefulness and limitations to build large and high speed VLSI chips. It also presents the design of an image compression chip set to implement subband vector quantization that can handle HDTV data rates with reasonable VLSI chip sizes.
Serum Opacity Factor Is a Streptococcal Receptor for the Extracellular Matrix Protein Fibulin-1

The adhesion of bacteria to host tissues is often mediated by interactions with extracellular matrices. Herein, we report on the interactions of the group A streptococcus, Streptococcus pyogenes, with the extracellular matrix protein fibulin-1. S. pyogenes bound purified fibulin-1 in a dose-dependent manner. Genetic ablation of serum opacity factor (SOF), a virulence determinant of S. pyogenes, reduced binding by approximately 50%, and a recombinant peptide of SOF inhibited binding of fibulin-1 to streptococci by approximately 45%. Fibulin-1 bound to purified SOF2 in a dose-dependent manner with high affinity (K(d) = 1.6 nm). The fibulin-1-binding domain was localized to amino acid residues 457-806 of SOF2, whereas the fibronectin-binding domain is contained within residues 807-931 of SOF2, indicating that these two domains are separate and distinct. Fibulin-1 bound to recombinant SOF from M types 2, 4, 28, and 75 of S. pyogenes, indicating that the fibulin-1-binding domain is likely conserved among SOF from different serotypes. Mixed binding experiments suggested that gelatin, fibronectin, fibulin-1, and SOF form a quaternary molecular complex that enhanced the binding of fibulin-1. These data indicate that S. pyogenes can interact with fibulin-1 and that SOF is a major streptococcal receptor for fibulin-1 but not the only receptor. Such interactions with fibulin-1 may be involved in the adhesion of S. pyogenes to extracellular matrices of the host.
Reconciling History with Sociology?: Strategies of Inquiry in Tocqueville’s Democracy in America and The Old Regime and the French Revolution

This analysis of Tocqueville’s thought is based on John R. Hall’s strategies of sociohistorical inquiry. Historical sociologists have recognized Tocqueville as a master of the ‘contrast-oriented comparison’. However, in Democracy in America, he also deploys a ‘universal history’, which posits the existence of four ages, with the United States arriving at an age of despotism despite the fact that the historical trajectory of the United States differed from France’s. A reconstruction of Tocqueville’s universal history is presented as a prelude to how the findings of his contrast-oriented comparison of the United States with France fit with those of his universal history. In seeking to assimilate both the United States and France to a universal history, Tocqueville’s key analytical concepts, such as ‘old regime’ and ‘revolution’, are rendered highly ambiguous, resulting in surprising silences with regard to critical political events in pre-revolutionary France and in the pre- and post-revolutionary United St...
A Comparative Study of Star Graphs and Rotator Graphs

Star graph is an extensively studied Cayley graph, considered to be an attractive alternative to the popular binary cube. The rotator graphs are a set of directed Cayley graphs introduced recently. In this paper we compare the structural and algorithmic aspects of star graphs with that of rotator graphs. In the process we present some new results for star graphs and rotator graphs. We present a formula for the number of nodes at any distance from the identity permutation in star graphs. The minimum bisection width of star and rotator graphs is obtained. Partitioning and fault tolerant parameters for both star and rotator graphs are analyzed. The node disjoint parallel paths and hence the upper bound on the fault diameter of rotator graphs are presented. We compare the minimal path routing in star and rotator graphs using simulation results.
Integration of the Aedes aegypti mosquito genetic linkage and physical maps.

Two approaches were used to correlate the Aedes aegypti genetic linkage map to the physical map. STS markers were developed for previously mapped RFLP-based genetic markers so that large genomic clones from cosmid libraries could be found and placed to the metaphase chromosome physical maps using standard FISH methods. Eight cosmids were identified that contained eight RFLP marker sequences, and these cosmids were located on the metaphase chromosomes. Twenty-one cDNAs were mapped directly to metaphase chromosomes using a FISH amplification procedure. The chromosome numbering schemes of the genetic linkage and physical maps corresponded directly and the orientations of the genetic linkage maps for chromosomes 2 and 3 were inverted relative to the physical maps. While the chromosome 2 linkage map represented essentially 100% of chromosome 2, z65% of the chromosome 1 linkage map mapped to only 36% of the short p-arm and 83% of the chromosome 3 physical map contained the complete genetic linkage map. Since the genetic linkage map is a RFLP cDNA-based map, these data also provide a minimal estimate for the size of the euchromatic regions. The implications of these findings on positional cloning in A. aegypti are discussed.
Effect of an intensive glucose management protocol on the mortality of critically ill adult patients

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of an intensive glucose management protocol in a heterogeneous population of critically ill adult patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS This study consisted of 800 consecutive patients admitted after institution of the protocol (treatment group, between February 1, 2003, and January 10, 2004) and 800 patients admitted immediately preceding institution of the protocol (baseline group, between February 23, 2002, and January 31, 2003). The setting was a 14-bed medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) in a university-affiliated community teaching hospital. The protocol involved intensive monitoring and treatment to maintain plasma glucose values lower than 140 mg/dL. Continuous intravenous insulin was used if glucose values exceeded 200 mg/ dL on 2 successive occasions. RESULTS The 2 groups of patients were well matched, with similar age, sex, race, prevalence of diabetes mellitus, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores, and distribution of diagnoses. After institution of the protocol, the mean glucose value decreased from 152.3 to 130.7 mg/dL ( P P =.03), and the number of patients undergoing transfusion of packed red blood cells decreased 18.7% ( P =.04). Hospital mortality decreased 29.3% ( P =.002), and length of stay in the ICU decreased 10.8% ( P =.01). CONCLUSION The protocol resulted in significantly improved glycemic control and was associated with decreased mortality, organ dysfunction, and length of stay in the ICU in a heterogeneous population of critically ill adult patients. These results support the adoption of this low-cost intervention as a standard of care for critically ill patients.
Treatment of refractory complex-partial status epilepticus with propofol: case report.

Summary: Purpose: We report a case of a 65-year-old woman who had a subarachnoid and intraventricular hemorrhage secondary to rupture of an anterior communicating artery aneu-rysm and developed nonconvulsive status epilepticus of the complex-partial type, refractory to phenytoin (PHT), phenobar-bital (PB), valproate (VPA), and lorazepam (LZP). Methods: Three weeks after diagnosis of nonconvulsive status epilepticus, general anesthesia was induced with propofol and titrated to burst suppression on the electroencephalogram (EEG). Results: During propofol infusion, the serum VPA level declined markedly, and despite >3 g daily doses, did not return to the therapeutic range, until several days after propofol was discontinued. Continuous propofol infusion was stopped after 7 days, and the patient recovered consciousness. Despite further complications, she gradually regained normal function and was discharged home 4 months after surgery. Conclusions: This is the first case of nonconvulsive status epilepticus successfully treated with propofol.
Effects of inotropic stimulation on energy metabolism and systolic function of ischemic right ventricle

This study determined whether dobutamine enhances regional systolic function in the ischemic right ventricle (RV) at the cost of adverse effects on regional energy metabolism. Seventeen alpha-chloralose-anesthetized, open-chest pigs were studied under four conditions: 1) control; 2) dobutamine infusion (mean dose 9 micrograms.kg-1.min-1); 3) RV ischemia (45 +/- 5% reduction in RV free wall blood flow for 100 min); and 4) continued ischemia with dobutamine. Regional RV free wall high-energy phosphate metabolites were measured by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy or by high-speed drill biopsies of the RV free wall. Regional RV free wall substrate and O2 consumption were measured using coronary venous blood sampling. Global RV systolic function was assessed by the maximal first derivative of RV pressure (dP/dtmax), and regional RV free wall systolic function was assessed by systolic segment shortening in the ischemic zone. Right coronary artery constriction caused markedly depressed regional RV systolic function, net lactate production, and coronary venous acidosis. Surprisingly, high-energy phosphates were unchanged compared with control. Addition of dobutamine caused a further decline in coronary venous pH and continued lactate production but did not reduce high-energy phosphates. While dobutamine markedly enhanced global RV systolic function (RV dP/dtmax 201 +/- 19% of control), systolic shortening in the ischemic RV free wall remained severely depressed (47 +/- 18% of control) despite dobutamine. The mechanism of high-energy phosphate preservation is likely due to diminished consumption of ATP in the hypocontractile ischemic region.
Testimony on "Internet Gambling: Is there a Safe Bet?"

This Congressional testimony discusses the possible legalization of Internet gambling in the United States, and the need for adequate consumer protection if online gambling were legalized. The testimony begins by discussing the importance of consumer protection in the gambling industry and the relative lack thereof in current casino regulation. A basic element of consumer protection for slot machine play would be mandating that slot machines display the hold percentage for that slot machine, with an interactive display that would change as the hold percentage changes. The testimony discusses how consumer protection, which focuses on giving recreational gamblers the tools they need to be good shoppers, differs from “harm minimization,” which is designed to reduce the detrimental effects of problem gambling. The testimony then discusses the special problems facing legalized Internet poker. With the development of poker playing software, “bots,” and other computerized poker aids, recreational poker players can find themselves defeated by much stronger computer-aided opponents. As poker “bots” gain in strength and defeat better and better opponents, they threaten the entire online poker industry. While poker sites may try to exclude bots, they would be engaging in an arms race with “bot” creators that the poker sites may well lose, leaving gamblers unprotected. The testimony proposes a solution to this problem, poker ratings for all players that would help players to determine whether they are playing opponents much more capable than they. While this would not prevent the use of “bots,” it would level the playing field by helping players avoid much stronger “bots.”
Increasing task demand by obstructing object recognition increases boundary extension

Individuals consistently remember seeing wider-angle versions of previously viewed scenes than actually existed. The multi-source model of boundary extension (BE) suggests many sources of information contribute to this visual memory error. Color diagnosticity is known to affect object recognition with poorer recognition for atypically versus typically colored objects. Scenes with low-color diagnostic main objects and two versions of scenes with high-color diagnostic main objects (typically and atypically colored) were tested to determine if the reduced ability to identify the main object in a scene influences BE. Scenes were presented to one group of participants for 46 ms and another group for 250 ms. Each scene was followed by a mask and a request for a recognition response concerning the identity of the main object. The scene was then immediately presented again for testing and participants rated it as depicting a more close-up view, more wide-angle, or the same view as before. The study demonstrates that poorer encoding of main objects in scenes leads to increased BE, but trial-by-trial recognition accuracy had no relationship to BE magnitude. This finding provides further insight into the impact of task demand and main object recognition on BE.
Total dissolution of environmental and biological samples by closed-vessel microwave digestion for radiometric analysis

Dry soil, fish-fillet ash, and grass ash were dissolved with a closed-vesselmicrowave oven system and mineral acids. Reagents and dissolution conditionswere varied to ensure total dissolution and recovery of radionuclides. Solventsto dissolve 99.9% of the mass of 3 g samples satisfactorily were 45 ml 14NHF followed by 60 ml 4N HNO3 saturated with H3BO3 for soil, 60 ml 9N HNO3 followed by 60 ml 14N HF for grass,and 60 ml 9N HNO3 for fish. The reliability of the dissolutionwas tested with samples from the DOE Quality Assurance Program.
Three-Dimensional CT Reformation in Children

Three-dimensional computed tomographic (CT) reformation has proven useful in the evaluation of congenital malformations of the brain as well as in the surgical approach and postoperative assessment of craniofacial anomalies in children, This technique was performed on 41 patients, of whom eight are presented, The congenital anomalies of semilobar holoprosencephaly and colpocephaly are described, Six representative cases of craniofacial anomalies with pre- and postoperative examinations include Crouzon syndrome, orbital fibrous dysplasia, frontonasal encephalocele, cranial involvement from neurofibromatosis, Treacher-Collins syndrome, and a Tessier III facial cleft, Addition of the dimension of depth provides a view heretofore not obtainable by standard imaging techniques and allows more accurate diagnosis as well as a more specific approach to surgical planning and follow-up.
Inhibition of Production of Cyclopiazonic Acid and Ochratoxin A by the Fungicide Iprodione

Aspergillus flavus NRRL 1290 and Aspergillus ochraceus NRRL 3174 were grown on a glucose-salts medium and yeast extract-sucrose broth containing the fungicide iprodione at concentrations of 0, 1,3,5, 10, 15, and 20 μg of active ingredient per ml of growth medium. Cultures were analyzed for cyclopiazonic acid, ochratoxin A, and mycelium production after 4,7, 10, 14, and 21 days of incubation at 25°C. Increasing concentrations of iprodione in the growth media resulted in greater reduction of cyclopiazonic acid, ochratoxin A, and mycelium production at the end of each incubation period. More than 50% reduction of cyclopiazonic acid, ochratoxin A, and mycelium production was observed when iprodione was added to growth media at a concentration of 5 μg/ml of medium. Higher concentrations of iprodione (10 to 20 μg/ml of growth medium) inhibited the production of cyclopiazonic acid and mycelium by A. flavus NRRL 1290 almost completely, but not the production of ochratoxin A and mycelium by A. ochraceus NRRL 3174.
The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and Its Impact on Pakistan

This phase (1977–88) of the Soviet-Pakistan relationship corresponds to the final stage of Soviet ascendance as a superpower, which was governed by the compulsions of the Cold War. Almost reflexively, the United States and the Soviet Union took opposite sides on all issues of international diplomacy and practically all regional problems ceased to have their local orientation and thus became intractable. Whatever the internal problems of the Soviet Union during the last phase of ailing Brezhnev’s stagnating leadership, and his terminally-sick successors, Yuri V. Andrapov (August 1983–February 1984) and K. U. Chernenko (February 1984–March 1985), the non-communist world perceived the USSR in a threateningly expansionist mould.
Pathology and Molecular Pathology of Hematologic Malignancies

Hematologic malignancies include neoplasms that are derived from bone marrow progenitor cells as well as more mature cells of the immune system. They can also be distinguished by their primary presentation as diseases of the blood or as solid tumors involving lymph nodes and organs. These diseases account for a major cause of morbidity and mortality around the world, and their clinical presentation varies from acute leukemia which has an aggressive clinical course leading to death in a few months, to low-grade lymphoma, which can go undetected for years. It is important to note that the field is progressing rapidly, and new discoveries are being made frequently; hence, we focus on well-characterized pathways that are operant in hematologic malignancies. Much progress has been made in understanding the pathogenetic basis of these diseases, and many pioneering discoveries regarding the molecular lesions that underlie these diseases have been made in the past few decades. Moreover, the development of targeted therapies based on these discoveries promise to revolutionize how cancer is treated. In this chapter, we will review a select number of hematologic malignancies, divided between lymphoid and myeloid malignancies, and detail the clinical and, pathologic features of the diseases along with the molecular genetic bases. Important developments in targeted therapies will be discussed where applicable.
Outcomes and Postoperative Complications After Hysterectomies Performed for Benign Compared With Malignant Indications.

OBJECTIVE:To compare complications and outcomes after hysterectomy for benign compared with malignant indications in the United States.METHODS:Women who underwent hysterectomy in the United States for either benign or malignant indications from January 2008 to December 2012 were retrospectively iden
Multimodal Dose Dense Therapy for Mantle Cell Lymphoma.

BACKGROUND : Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) typically has a poor outcome with overall survival of only 3–4 years. Higher treatment response and event-free survival has been demonstrated with aggressive high dose chemotherapy followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell support, though long term cure rates remain unclear(Dreger P. Hematol J. 2000;vol.2). Modest response rates have also been reported with the monoclonal antibody (MoAb) rituximab and ALEMTUZUMAB (Foran, JM. JCO 2000; vol. 2. Faderl S. Blood 2003; vol. 9). We therefore combined dose-dense therapy with MoAbs to explore response rate and event free survival (EFS) in mantle cell lymphoma. The strength of this trial design is ability to follow all patients from induction chemotherapy through high dose therapy and transplant in order to gauge clinical outcome on all enrolled patients, not just the subpopulation who is able to proceed to high dose therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Induction therapy consisted of 1 cycle of high dose cytarabine (3gm/m2 IV over 1 hour Q12H for 8 doses), mitoxantrone (10mg/m2 daily for 3 days), and ALEMTUZUMAB 30mg IV 3 times a week for 6 weeks with growth factor support. All responding patients were mobilized with cyclophosphamide 4gm/m2 and G-CSF 10 mcg/kg/day and/or bone marrow harvest. The transplant preparative regimen was carmustine 15mg/kg over 2 hours day -6, etoposide 60mg/kg over 4 hours day -4, and cyclophosphamide 100mg/kg over 2 hours day -2 followed by autologous reinfusion on day zero. Consolidation was given with rituximab 375mg/m2 weekly for 4 doses at 6 weeks and 6 months post transplant. RESULT: 9 patients with advanced disease (7 stage IV, 1 stage III, 1 stage IIA) and median age of 60 (48 – 65 years) have been accrued and treated since February 2003. Four were newly diagnosed and 5 had relapsed/refractory disease. Seventy eight percent (7/9) had complete response and 22% (2/9) had partial response (PR) following induction therapy. One patient had severe infection after induction and was unable to proceed to transplant. Another had constitutional decline preventing further therapy and each died within 4 months of withdrawal from the protocol. Both had relapse/refractory disease at accrual. The remaining 7 patients proceeded to the transplant phase. With a median follow-up of 7 months (range 3–16 months), all 7 patients remain in CR for 1 –16 months. Significant induction therapy toxicity included neutropenia in all 9 patients with average duration of 10.7 days, non-disseminated CMV reactivation in 44% of patients, one overwhelming fungal infection, and one patient with delay in engraftment. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary data show a high induction and transplant phase completion rate, manageable toxicity, and excellent overall response rate in this group of elderly patients with advanced disease. Larger numbers of patients and longer follow-up is needed to confirm these promising results.
A Small-Scale Randomized Efficacy Trial of the Identity Project: Promoting Adolescents’ Ethnic–Racial Identity Exploration and Resolution

Adolescents' ethnic-racial identity (ERI) formation represents an important developmental process that is associated with adjustment. The Identity Project intervention, grounded in developmental theory, was designed to engage adolescents in the ERI processes of exploration and resolution. The current small-scale efficacy trial involved an ethnic-racially diverse sample of adolescents (N = 215; Mage = 15.02, SD = .68) from eight classrooms that were randomly assigned by classroom to the intervention or attention control group. Differences between conditions in ERI exploration at Time 2 were consistent with desired intervention effects; furthermore, higher levels of ERI exploration at Time 2 predicted increases in ERI resolution at Time 3 only for youth in the treatment condition. Findings provide preliminary evidence of program efficacy.
A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED TRIAL COMPARING PLAIN GUT TO POLYGLACTIN 910 (VICRYL) SUTURES FOR SCLEROTOMY CLOSURE AFTER 23-GAUGE PARS PLANA VITRECTOMY.

PURPOSE To report a prospective, randomized comparative study assessing clinical outcomes of plain gut versus polyglactin 910 (PG910) sutures for sclerotomy closure after 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy. METHODS A single-masked, randomized, prospective study was undertaken with 49 eyes of 49 patients undergoing 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy randomized to sclerotomy closure with either plain gut suture, PG910 (Vicryl) suture or a combination of the two. Assessment was based on both a postoperative pain scale and a standardized assessment of scleral inflammation at each suture site. RESULTS No wound leakage was noted postoperatively in any patient. Across all groups, scleral inflammation was significantly higher at the PG910 suture sites compared with the plain gut suture sites at both the 1-week (P = 0.04) and 1-month postoperative visits (P < 0.001). Patients with PG910 sutures reported greater pain at the 1-month postoperative visit than those with plain gut sutures (P = 0.018). CONCLUSION This prospective study suggests improved tolerability and reduced inflammation using plain gut suture compared with an 8-0 PG910 suture to close 23-gauge sclerotomies.
Simulation of zincblende AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors for normally-off operation

In this work we investigate design parameters enabling normally-off operation of zincblende (ZB-) phase Al X Ga(1−X)N/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) via Synopsys Sentaurus Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD). As ZB-phase III-nitrides are polarization-free, the 2D electron gas (2DEG) channel at the Al X Ga(1−X)N/GaN heterojunction is formed through intentional δ-doping part of the Al X Ga(1−X)N barrier layer. The impact of each of the design parameters (i.e. Al-content and thickness of Al X Ga(1−X)N barrier; δ-doping location (within the Al X Ga(1−X)N barrier), δ-doped Al X Ga(1−X)N layer thickness and its doping amount; gate metal) are studied in detail and design trade-offs are reported. We show that work function of the gate metal impacts normally-off behavior and turn-on voltage considerably. Our results suggest that Al-content of 35% or less in the Al X Ga(1−X)N barrier results in a normally-off behavior whereas Al X Ga(1−X)N barrier thickness is effective in controlling the turn-on voltage. Overall, we provide design guidelines in controlling the normally-on/-off operation, threshold voltage, and 2DEG density in ZB-phase AlGaN/GaN HEMT technology.
The Value of Using Multiple Metrics to Evaluate PCB Exposure

Current methods for evaluating exposure in ecosystems contaminated with hydrophobic organic contaminants typically focus on sediment exposure. However, a comprehensive environmental assessment requires a more holistic approach that not only estimates sediment concentrations, but also accounts for exposure by quantifying other pathways, such as bioavailability, bioaccumulation, trophic transfer potential, and transport of hydrophobic organic contaminants within and outside of the aquatic system. The current study evaluated the ability of multiple metrics to estimate exposure in an aquatic ecosystem. This study utilized a small lake contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to evaluate exposure to multiple trophic levels as well as the transport of these contaminants within and outside of the lake. The PCBs were localized to sediments in one area of the lake, yet this area served as the source of PCBs to aquatic invertebrates, emerging insects, and fish and terrestrial spiders in the riparian ecosystem. The Tenax extractable and biota PCB concentrations indicated tissue concentrations were localized to benthic invertebrates and riparian spiders in a specific cove. Fish data, however, demonstrated that fish throughout the lake had PCB tissue concentrations, leading to wider exposure risk. The inclusion of PCB exposure measures at several trophic levels provided multiple lines of evidence to the scope of exposure through the aquatic and riparian food web, which aids in assessing risk and developing potential future remediation strategies.
Solution Deposition of Phenylphosphinic Acid Leads to Highly Ordered, Covalently Bound Monolayers on TiO2 (110) Without Annealing

Solution-deposited phosphonic acids, O═P(OH)2R, have been used to impart new functionality to a variety of metal oxide surfaces for applications ranging from organic field-effect transistors to biocompatible coatings on implants. Interestingly, the as-deposited monolayers are easily rinsed off, becoming robust and strongly adherent only after a long, low-temperature thermal anneal (e.g., 18 h at 120 °C). The need for this thermal treatment has raised questions about the nature of the bonding of the as-deposited monolayer. Is it merely physisorbed, requiring heat treatment for covalent bonding? To understand the first stages of monolayer formation, we have studied the reactivity and molecular bonding geometry of a prototypical, solution-deposited phosphinic acid, O═PH(OH)R, on the prototypical metal oxide surface rutile (110). We show that solution deposition produces near ideal, dense phenylphosphinate monolayers covalently bound in a bridged bidentate geometry. Three nearly orthogonal molecular vibration...
On the representation of aerosol activation and its influence on model-derived estimates of the aerosol indirect effect

Abstract. Interactions between aerosol particles and clouds contribute a great deal of uncertainty to the scientific community's understanding of anthropogenic climate forcing. Aerosol particles serve as the nucleation sites for cloud droplets, establishing a direct linkage between anthropogenic particulate emissions and clouds in the climate system. To resolve this linkage, the community has developed parameterizations of aerosol activation which can be used in global climate models to interactively predict cloud droplet number concentrations (CDNCs). However, different activation schemes can exhibit different sensitivities to aerosol perturbations in different meteorological or pollution regimes. To assess the impact these different sensitivities have on climate forcing, we have coupled three different core activation schemes and variants with the CESM-MARC (two-Moment, Multi-Modal, Mixing-state-resolving Aerosol model for Research of Climate (MARC) coupled with the National Center for Atmospheric Research's (NCAR) Community Earth System Model (CESM; version 1.2)). Although the model produces a reasonable present-day CDNC climatology when compared with observations regardless of the scheme used, Δ CDNCs between the present and preindustrial era regionally increase by over 100 % in zonal mean when using the most sensitive parameterization. These differences in activation sensitivity may lead to a different evolution of the model meteorology, and ultimately to a spread of over 0.8 W m−2 in global average shortwave indirect effect (AIE) diagnosed from the model, a range which is as large as the inter-model spread from the AeroCom intercomparison. Model-derived AIE strongly scales with the simulated preindustrial CDNC burden, and those models with the greatest preindustrial CDNC tend to have the smallest AIE, regardless of their Δ CDNC. This suggests that present-day evaluations of aerosol-climate models may not provide useful constraints on the magnitude of the AIE, which will arise from differences in model estimates of the preindustrial aerosol and cloud climatology.
Speech Recognition in Noise in Adults and Children Who Speak English or Chinese as Their First Language

Background Speech recognition of individuals who are listening to a nonnative language is significantly degraded in the presence of background noise and may be influenced by proficiency, age of acquisition, language experience, and daily use of the nonnative language. Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine and compare speech recognition in noise performance across test conditions with varying signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) as well as the presence of vocal and spatial cues in listeners who speak American English as a native language or Mandarin Chinese as a native language. Self-rated English proficiency and experience were collected for native Mandarin Chinese speakers to determine its relationship to performance on the test measures. Research design A cross-sectional repeated measures design was used for the study. Study sample Four groups of participants were included in the study. The adult groups consisted of 25 adults who speak native English and 25 adults who speak native Mandarin Chinese with English as an additional language. The pediatric groups consisted of 16 children who speak native English and 16 children who speak native Mandarin Chinese with English as an additional language. Data collection and analyses Percent correct speech recognition in noise was assessed at three SNRs (-3, 0, +3 dB) using the adult or pediatric versions of the AzBio sentence test. The Listening in Spatialized Noise-Sentence (LiSN-S) test was used to determine the effect of providing spatial and vocal cues on the speech recognition in noise performance of the groups of participants. The data for each age group and test measure were analyzed with a repeated measures analysis of variance. Correlation analyses were performed to examine relationships between English proficiency and experience on performance across the speech recognition test conditions. Results Analysis of the data from the adult or pediatric AzBio sentence test identified a significant effect of native language for adults but no significant effect for children. The higher SNRs yielded better performance for all listeners. On the LiSN-S test, results for the adult and pediatric groups were similar and showed significantly better performance for the native English speakers in every test condition. The demographic and language characteristics that most affected speech recognition performance across the test measures included the length of time the person lived in the United States, the age of English acquisition, the number of minutes per day English was spoken by the participant, and the self-rated English proficiency. Conclusions The findings in this study highlight the importance and benefit of higher SNRs as well as the provision of vocal and spatial cues for improving speech recognition performance in noise of adult and pediatric listeners who speak Mandarin Chinese as a native language.
Clinical supervision in speech-language pathology and audiology in the United States: Development of a professional specialty

In this article, the authors describe the development of clinical supervision in audiology and speech-language pathology in the United States from its recognition as a distinct area of practice to ...
The Role of Computerized Clinical Decision Support in Reducing Inappropriate Medication Administration During Epidural Therapy

Background: The use of epidural anesthesia has been shown to improve outcomes in the postoperative setting. To minimize risk of complications, avoiding certain medications with epidural anesthesia is advised. Objective: This study sought to determine the role of a computerized clinical decision support module implemented into the computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system on the incidence of administration of medications known to increase complications with epidural anesthesia. Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort chart review in adult patients receiving epidural anesthesia for at least 1 day. Patients were identified retrospectively and divided into 2 cohorts, those receiving an epidural 3 months prior to initiation of the module and those receiving an epidural 3 months following implementation. The primary end point was incidence of inappropriate medication administration before and after implementation. Complications of therapy were collected as secondary end points. Results: There was a reduction in the incidence of inappropriate medication administration in the postimplementation group versus the preimplementation group (6.3% vs 12.8%) although statistical significance was not achieved. In addition, the incidence of enoxaparin administration was significantly lower postimplementation than the preimplementation (0% vs 3.9%). There were no significant differences in other complications of therapy. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that application of decision support for this high-risk procedural population was able to eliminate the incidence of the most common inappropriate medication for epidural analgesia, enoxaparin. A reduction in incidence of other inappropriate medications was also observed; however, statistical significance was not reached. The use of computerized clinical decision support can be a powerful tool in reducing or ameliorating medication errors, and further study will be required to determine the most appropriate and effective implementation strategies.
Long-term outcome following concomitant mitral valve surgery and Cox maze procedure for atrial fibrillation

Abstract Objective Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased early and long-term morbidity/mortality following valve surgery. This study examined long-term influence of concomitant full Cox maze (CM) and mitral valve procedures on freedom from atrial arrhythmia and stroke. Methods This sample comprised patients who underwent CM with a mitral valve procedure (N = 473). Data on rhythm, medication status, and clinical events captured according to Heart Rhythm Society guidelines at 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months and yearly thereafter up to 7 years. Results Mean age was 65 years, mean left atrium size was 5.3 cm, and 15% had paroxysmal AF. Perioperative stroke occurred in 2 patients (0.4%) and operative mortality was 2.7% (n = 13). Return to sinus rhythm regardless of antiarrhythmic drugs at 1, 5, and 7 years was 90%, 80%, and 66%. Sinus rhythm off antiarrhythmic drugs at 1, 5, and 7 years was 83%, 69%, and 55%. Freedom from embolic stroke at 7 years was 96.6% (0.4 strokes per 100 patient-years) with a majority of patients off anticoagulation medication. Greater odds of atrial arrhythmia recurrence during 7 years was associated with longer AF duration (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; P = .001), whereas lower odds were associated with cryothermal energy only (OR, 0.64; P = .045) and greater surgeon experience (OR, 0.98; P = .025). Conclusions This study suggests that the addition of CM to mitral valve procedures, even with a high degree of complexity, did not increase operative risk. In long-term follow-up, the CM procedure demonstrated acceptable rhythm success, reduced AF burden, and remarkably low stroke rate. Individual surgeon experience and training may notably influence long-term surgical ablation for AF success.
Lym-1 Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells Exhibit Potent Anti-Tumor Effects against B-Cell Lymphoma

T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) recognizing CD19 epitopes have produced remarkable anti-tumor effects in patients with B-cell malignancies. However, cancer cells lacking recognized epitopes can emerge, leading to relapse and death. Thus, CAR T cells targeting different epitopes on different antigens could improve immunotherapy. The Lym-1 antibody targets a conformational epitope of Human Leukocyte Antigen-antigen D Related (HLA-DR) on the surface of human B-cell lymphomas. Lym-1 CAR T cells were thus generated for evaluation of cytotoxic activity towards lymphoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Human T cells from healthy donors were transduced to express a Lym-1 CAR, and assessed for epitope-driven function in culture and towards Raji xenografts in NOD-scidIL2Rgammanull (NSG) mice. Lym-1 CAR T cells exhibited epitope-driven activation and lytic function against human B-cell lymphoma cell lines in culture and mediated complete regression of Raji/Luciferase-Green fluorescent protein (Raji/Luc-GFP) in NSG mice with similar or better reactivity than CD19 CAR T cells. Lym-1 CAR transduction of T cells is a promising immunotherapy for patients with Lym-1 epitope positive B-cell malignancies.
Hope for escape from a prison of bone: Cellular and molecular targets for fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva

The progressive pathological metamorphosis of one normal organ system into another is unique to fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva and unveils a pathophysiologic process that can be exploited for therapy of disabling extraskeletal ossification. Here, we review the recent remarkable insight from medical research and the potential of targeted therapy for this rare condition as well as for many common forms of heterotopic ossification.
Stigma Expression Outcomes and Boundary Conditions: A Meta-Analysis

The decision to express a stigmatized identity inside and outside of the workplace is highly complex, with the potential for both negative and positive outcomes. This meta-analysis examines the intrapersonal and interpersonal workplace and non-workplace outcomes of engaging in this identity management strategy. Synthesizing stigma and relationship formation theories, we hypothesize and test boundary conditions for these relationships including the visibility and controllability of the stigma, the study setting, and the gender of the interaction partner. Through our analysis of 65 unique samples (k = 108), we find that expression is more likely to lead to beneficial outcomes in interpersonal, workplace, and non-workplace domains, but only for less-visible stigmas and for studies conducted within a field vs. lab setting. Finally, we explore stigma expression across specific stigmatized identities and determine that there are consistently positive outcomes of expression for individuals with stigmatized religious and sexual orientation identities.
Income of the Elderly Population: 2003

This paper reviews the latest available data on the older population's income (from the U.S. Census Bureau's March 2004 Current Population survey) and how it has changed over time, as well as how the elderly's reliance on these sources varies across income levels. The PDF for the above title, published in the January 2005 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the fulltext of another January 2005 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: "401(k)-Type Plan and IRA Ownership."
Quasiparticle self-consistent GW band structures of Mg-IV-N2 compounds: The role of semicore d states

Abstract We present improved band structure calculations of the Mg-IV-N2 compounds in the quasiparticle self-consistent GW approximation. Compared to previous calculations (Phys. Rev. B 94, 125201 (2016)) we here include the effects of the Ge-3d and Sn-4d semicore states and find that these tend to reduce the band gap significantly. This places the band gap of MgSnN2 in the difficult to reach green region of the visible spectrum. The stability of the materials with respect to competing binary compounds is also evaluated and details of the valence band maximum manifold splitting and effective masses are provided.