cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hepatobiliary cystadenoma: a case report and a review of the literature.

Background Hepatic cystic lesions are rare; however, their management and treatment is dependent on early recognition and diagnosis. Methods In this report, the authors discuss a 72-year-old woman who presented to their clinic for treatment of a hepatocystadenoma. Results The history, physical examination, and diagnostic modalities lead to surgical intervention despite an unclear diagnosis. Conclusions This case illustrates an unusual hepatic lesion in which the diagnosis was not known until the time of laparotomy. However, diagnostic modalities were important in establishing the need for surgical intervention. The authors offer a pertinent review of the literature and discuss current treatment modalities.
An Internal Control Evaluation Tool For The Construction Industry

This paper presents a Control Objectives Reconciliation, a tool that independent auditors of clients in the construction industry should find useful in performing a preliminary evaluation of the client’s internal control system. Auditors are advised to compare their client’s control objectives with those presented in Exhibits 1 through 7. Where the client’s system appears to omit significant control objectives, the auditor should consider the risks brought on or magnified by the omission during the preliminary evaluation of the client’s internal control system. The Control Objectives Reconciliation is also potentially useful to Construction Company CFOs or Controllers who may be concerned about the adequacy of their company’s internal control system. The Reconciliation also highlights for Construction Company CFOs or Controllers those internal controls deemed to be important to their external, independent auditors.
A new video laryngoscope—an aid to intubation and teaching

In recent decades, video techniques have been employed in the majority of endoscopic procedures because of several distinct advantages provided. These include the following: The displayed anatomy is magnified. Recognition of the anatomical structures and anomalies is easier, and manipulation of airway devices is facilitated. When assistance is required, the operator and assistant can coordinate their movements because each sees exactly the same image on the video monitor. As a result, video techniques have become the method of choice in teaching. The Video Macintosh Intubating Laryngoscope System (VMS) was designed employing a standard Macintosh blade and laryngoscope handle. A camera was incorporated into the handle with a short image and light bundle. The magnified anatomy is displayed on an 8-inch monitor, which is attached to a swivel arm on a small cart. Observation and manipulation can be performed in one axis. 235 patients were studied and were divided into two groups: Group A (n=217) where intubation was thought unlikely to be difficult, and Group B (n=18) where difficulty with intubation was anticipated. External laryngeal manipulation (ELM) was required in 22 of the 217 Group A patients (10%). All intubations but one in this group were successful. In the second group (B) of 18 patients who had anatomical conditions that suggested that direct laryngoscopy might be challenging, all 18 cases required ELM but all were successfully intubated using the VMS. The improved coordination afforded by an image on a video monitor seen by both the assistant providing laryngeal manipulation and the anesthesiologist handling the laryngoscope results in a significant advantage over the conventional laryngoscope technique. As a consequence the learning curve is short. In our view, video laryngoscopy will become the method of choice in teaching.
Turbo decoding of quantized data

Much of the work on turbo decoding assumes that the decoder has access to infinitely soft (unquantized) channel data. In practice, however, a quantizer is used at the receiver and the turbo decoder must operate on finite precision, quantized data. Hence, the maximum a posteriori (MAP) component decoder which was designed assuming infinitely soft data is not necessarily optimum when operating on quantized data. We modify the well-known normalized MAP algorithm taking into account the presence of the quantizer. This algorithm is optimum given any quantizer and is no more complex than quantized implementations of the MAP algorithm derived based on unquantized data. Simulation results on an additive white Gaussian noise channel show that, even with four bits of quantization, the new algorithm based on quantized data achieves a performance practically equal to the MAP algorithm operating on infinite precision data.
Pathways analysis of differential gene expression induced by engrafting doses of total body irradiation for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in mice

A major challenge in allogeneic bone marrow (BM) transplantation is overcoming engraftment resistance to avoid the clinical problem of graft rejection. Identifying gene pathways that regulate BM engraftment may reveal molecular targets for overcoming engraftment barriers. Previously, we developed a mouse model of BM transplantation that utilizes recipient conditioning with non-myeloablative total body irradiation (TBI). We defined TBI doses that lead to graft rejection, that conversely are permissive for engraftment, and mouse strain variation with regards to the permissive TBI dose. We now report gene expression analysis, using Agilent Mouse 8x60K microarrays, in spleens of mice conditioned with varied TBI doses for correlation to the expected engraftment phenotype. The spleens of mice given engrafting doses of TBI, compared with non-engrafting TBI doses, demonstrated substantially broader gene expression changes, significant at the multiple testing-corrected P <0.05 level and with fold change ≥2. Functional analysis revealed significant enrichment for a down-regulated canonical pathway involving B-cell development. Genes enriched in this pathway suggest that suppressing donor antigen processing and presentation may be pivotal effects conferred by TBI to enable engraftment. Regardless of TBI dose and recipient mouse strain, pervasive genomic changes related to inflammation was observed and reflected by significant enrichment for canonical pathways and association with upstream regulators. These gene expression changes suggest that macrophage and complement pathways may be targeted to overcome engraftment barriers. These exploratory results highlight gene pathways that may be important in mediating BM engraftment resistance.
Design of optical range third-order Chebychev low-pass filter using plasmonic nanostrip waveguides

In this paper, we present a new optical range low-pass filter based on plasmonic nanostrip waveguides. We calculate the characteristic impedance of plasmonic nanostrip waveguides and compare it with that of microstrip transmission lines. An optical range Chebychev low-pass filter with subwavelength dimensions is designed based on nanostrip waveguides. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations of the designed optical range filter are presented, which demonstrate subwavelength light-confinement as well as acceptable filter cutoff performance.
Operational semantics of hybrid systems

Hybrid systems are heterogeneous systems that include continuous-time (CT) subsystems interacting with discrete-event (DE) subsystems. They are effective models for physical systems interacting with software or experiencing discrete mode changes. This dissertation discusses an interpretation of hybrid systems as executable programs written in a programming language with a hybrid system semantics. The semantic properties of such a programming language affect our ability to understand, execute, and analyze a hybrid system model. This dissertation focuses on a few semantic issues that come in defining such a programming language, such as the interpretation of discontinuities in CT signals and simultaneous discrete events in DE signals, liveness property, and the consequences of numerical ODE solver techniques. The interactions between CT and DE subsystems and between DE subsystems themselves are captured by discontinuities in continuous-time signals and simultaneous discrete events in discrete-event signals. In order to precisely represent them in compute execution results, a two-dimension domain, called "super-dense time," is used as the domain for defining signals. This domain allows a signal to have multiple values at the same time point while keeping the values ordered. CT and DE subsystems are modeled as actors, which are functions that map a set of signals to another set of signals. In this way, a hybrid system model is just a network of actors interacting via signals. We can always transform a network of actors into a composite actor with feedback, where the function of the composition actor is the composition of functions of the component actors. The least fixed point solution to the function of the composite actor, which is a set of signals, gives the denotational semantics of the hybrid system model. The operational semantics takes the denotational semantics as a mathematical foundation and defines a set of rules for evaluating actors such that the least fixed point solution can be constructed. Rather than constructing the whole signals, the operational semantics only computes a discrete subset of the signals called a discrete representation of the signals. The constructive procedure is formalized with the Abstract State Machine semantics, where a hybrid system is treated as a state transition system and the rules specify how state transformations are performed. This operational semantics supports heterogeneous and hierarchical composition of different models of computation, such as CT, DE, finite state machines, and synchronous languages, and modular execution of the composition as a whole. This ability makes it easy to jointly model and design software controlled systems. The operational semantics proposed in this dissertation has been implemented in HyVisual, which is a software tool for modeling and simulating hybrid systems. HyVisual is part of the Ptolemy II software framework, which is available in open-source form at http://ptolemy.org.
Protein S blocks the extrinsic apoptotic cascade in tissue plasminogen activator/N-methyl D-aspartate-treated neurons via Tyro3-Akt-FKHRL1 signaling pathway

Background Thrombolytic therapy with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) benefits patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, tPA increases the risk for intracerebral bleeding and enhances post-ischemic neuronal injury if administered 3-4 hours after stroke. Therefore, combination therapies with tPA and neuroprotective agents have been considered to increase tPA's therapeutic window and reduce toxicity. The anticoagulant factor protein S (PS) protects neurons from hypoxic/ischemic injury. PS also inhibits N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) excitotoxicity by phosphorylating Bad and Mdm2 which blocks the downstream steps in the intrinsic apoptotic cascade. To test whether PS can protect neurons from tPA toxicity we studied its effects on tPA/NMDA combined injury which in contrast to NMDA alone kills neurons by activating the extrinsic apoptotic pathway. Neither Bad nor Mdm2 which are PS's targets and control the intrinsic apoptotic pathway can influence the extrinsic cascade. Thus, based on published data one cannot predict whether PS can protect neurons from tPA/NMDA injury by blocking the extrinsic pathway. Neurons express all three TAM (Tyro3, Axl, Mer) receptors that can potentially interact with PS. Therefore, we studied whether PS can activate TAM receptors during a tPA/NMDA insult.
Paleogene stratigraphy and sea-level history of the North Carolina Coastal Plain: global coastal onlap and tectonics

Abstract Coastal onlap of Paleogene depositional sequences, mapped by stage, and compared to curves of global coastal onlap and eustasy facilitate differentiation of the effects of local uplift and subsidence from eustasy on the Onslow and Albemarle Blocks about the Neuse Hinge in North Carolina. Differential uplift and subsidence of these blocks has controlled the stratal geometries and patterns of relative coastal onlap on each block. Potential mechanisms to produce the uplift and subsidence include episodic flexural deformation resulting from sediment loading in the Salisbury Embayment, and horizontal compressional deformation resulting from plate motion. Danian sea-level rise produced the initial Paleogene siliciclastic sequences (TA1.2 and TA1.3) on both blocks. After deposition of the Danian sequences and prior to Thanetian inundation, the Onslow Block was elevated relative to the Albemarle Block. The Ypresian (TA2.5–2.9, one) is generally restricted to the downdip Albemarle Block, has a depositional updip limit, and represents a major basinward shift in local coastal onlap at a time when global coastal onlap and long-term eustatic curves predict a major landward shift. This suggests that both blocks were uplifted during the Ypresian. Lutetian-Bartonian sequences (TA3.3–TA3.5/3.6) represent the most extensive landward shift in coastal onlap during the Paleogene in North Carolina and show erosional updip limits on both blocks. Differences in the degree of overstepping on the two blocks reflects post-middle Eocene uplift, but greater relative uplift of the Albemarle Block. The Priabonian (TA4.1 and either the TA4.2 or TA4.3) has erosional updip limits on both blocks and represents a significant basinward shift in local coastal onlap. This shift occurs during a time when global coastal onlap and long-term eustasy indicate a landward shift as great as that during the Lutetian-Bartonian. Therefore, both blocks were uplifted, but the distribution of the Priabonian on the Albemarle Block indicates greater relative uplift. In North Carolina, the Rupelian (TA4.4) oversteps the Priabonian on both blocks but not as far as predicted by global coastal onlap and eustasy. Based on the offlapping relationship of the erosional updip limit on both blocks, both areas were uplifted prior to Rupelian deposition. Chattian sediments (TB1.1–1.4, lower part) reflect a downward shift in coastal onlap which is consistent with global coastal onlap and long-term eustatic fall.
Differential Effects of Oral Estrone Versus 170-Estradiol on Lipoproteins in Postmenopausal Women*

Toward the definition of optimal postmenopausal estrogen replacement we compared the effects of three graduated doses of two oral estrogens, estrone sulfate and 17/3-estradiol, on the lipid profiles of two groups of six postmenopausal women. Because of metabolic interconversions equivalent serum concentrations of estrone and estradiol were produced with these regimens. However, differential effects were noted in lipoproteins. 17/3-Estradiol caused an increase in total plasma cholesterol (from 5.71 ± 0.36 to 5.99 ± 0.57 mmol/L, baseline to high dose; P < 0.02), high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (from 1.45 ± 0.15 to 1.78 ± 0.36 mmol/L; P < 0.02), HDL2 cholesterol concentration (from 0.41 ± 0.08 to 0.62 ± 0.26 mmol/ L; P < 0.01), and triglyceride concentration (from 1.09 ± 0.29 to 1.24 ± 0.30 mmol/L; P < 0.01) without affecting low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration. By contrast, estrone sulfate caused a decrease in total plasma cholesterol (from 6.51 ± 0.85 to 5.87 ± 0.41 mmol/L; P...
The school as social context: social interaction patterns of children with physical disabilities.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of the school social environment experienced by children with physical disabilities and the social interactional characteristics of children with physical disabilities in the school environment. The goal was to understand the interactive processes that support or inhibit these children’s social interactions. METHOD. Naturalistic observation and participant interviews were used to collect data on social interaction patterns of three children with physical disabilities 5 to 8 years of age who were enrolled in age-appropriate regular education classrooms. Descriptive codes were obtained through constant comparative analysis. RESULTS. Four themes were identified that characterized aspects of the social environment affecting the social interactions of children with disabilities: reciprocity, characteristics of social and play interactions, effects of adult involvement, and quality of occupational engagement. CONCLUSION. The study supports the need for occupational therapists to focus intervention on multiple aspects of the social environment to facilitate children’s socialization.
DNA Damage Response Pathway and Replication Fork Stress During Oligonucleotide Directed Gene Editing

Single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides (ODNs) can be used to direct the exchange of nucleotides in the genome of mammalian cells in a process known as gene editing. Once refined, gene editing should become a viable option for gene therapy and molecular medicine. Gene editing is regulated by a number of DNA recombination and repair pathways whose natural activities often lead to single- and double-stranded DNA breaks. It has been previously shown that introduction of a phosphorotioated ODN, designed to direct a gene-editing event, into cells results in the activation of γH2AX, a well-recognized protein biomarker for double-stranded DNA breakage. Using a single copy, integrated mutant enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) gene as our target, we now demonstrate that several types of ODNs, capable of directing gene editing, also activate the DNA damage response and the post-translational modification of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a signature modification of replication stress. We find that the gene editing reaction itself leads to transient DNA breakage, perhaps through replication fork collapse. Unmodified specific ODNs elicit a lesser degree of replication stress than their chemically modified counterparts, but are also less active in gene editing. Modified phosphothioate oligonucleotides (PTOs) are detrimental irrespective of the DNA sequence. Such collateral damage may prove problematic for proliferation of human cells genetically modified by gene editing.
Patient-centred healthcare, social media and the internet: the perfect storm?

Patients are central to healthcare delivery, yet all too often their perspectives and input have not been considered by providers.1 ,2 This is beginning to change rapidly and is having a major impact across a range of dimensions. Patients are becoming more engaged in their care and patient-centred healthcare has emerged as a major domain of quality.3–6 At the same time, social media in particular and the internet more broadly are widely recognised as having produced huge effects across societies. For example, few would have predicted the Arab Spring, yet it was clearly enabled by media such as Facebook and Twitter. Now these technologies are beginning to pervade the healthcare space, just as they have so many others. But what will their effects be? These three domains—patient-centred healthcare, social media and the internet—are beginning to come together, with powerful and unpredictable consequences. We believe that they have the potential to create a major shift in how patients and healthcare organisations connect, in effect, the ‘perfect storm’, a phrase that has been used to describe a situation in which a rare combination of circumstances result in an event of unusual magnitude creating the potential for non-linear change.7 Historically, patients have paid relatively little attention to quality, safety and the experiences large groups of other patients have had, and have made choices about where to get healthcare based largely on factors like reputation, the recommendations of a friend or proximity.8 Part of the reason for this was that information about quality or the opinions of others about their care was hard to access before the internet. Today, patients appear to be becoming more engaged with their care in general, and one of the many results is that they are increasingly using the internet to share and rate …
The solution of a numerical problem encountered when adding a mobility model to a finite-element device simulator

The addition of a mobility model to a finite-element simulator was found to create a convergence problem identified with the addition of positive terms to the off-diagonal elements in the solution matrix. Fast convergence rates were recovered by carefully adjusting the solution matrix such that the off-diagonal elements in question were all nonpositive. >
Life-fertility tables of Bracon hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) reared on Heliocheilus albipunctella de Joannis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Life-fertility tables were described for Bracon hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) developing on the millet head caterpillar (MHC), Heliocheilus albipunctella de Joannis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Mated B. hebetor females lived an average of 24.7 days, oviposited ca. 22 days, and produced, 173.7 adult progeny with a 1:1 sex ratio. The estimated innate capacity of increase (r) and net reproductive rate (R0) were 0.26 and 86.5, respectively. The mean generation time was 1 days.
The Esh kodesh of Rabbi Kalonimus Kalmish Shapiro: A Hasidic Treatise on Communal Trauma from the Holocaust:

Rabbi Kalonimus Kalmish Shapiro (1889–1943) was a spiritual leader of Hasidic Jews in the Warsaw ghetto during the Nazi occupation, where he continued to preach weekly sermons to his dwindling group of followers living in increasingly difficult circumstances. Discovered after the war by a construction worker clearing rubble from the destroyed ghetto and eventually published in Israel under the title Esh Kodesh(‘Holy Fire’), these weekly sermons lend insight into the strategies used by a faith community in dealing with extended trauma.
Anxiety and Performance: A Visual Search Examination of the Processing Efficiency Theory

The purpose of this study was to examine the central tenets of the Processing Efficiency Theory (PET) in the context of a dual-task auto racing simulation. Participants were placed into either high or low trait-anxiety groups and required to concurrently undertake a driving task while responding to one of four target LEDs upon presentation of either a valid or an invalid cue located in the central or peripheral visual field. Eye movements and dual-task performance were recorded under baseline and competition conditions. Anxiety was induced by an instructional set delivered prior to the competition condition. Findings indicated that while there was little change in driving performance from baseline to competition, response time was reduced for the low-anxious group but increased for the high-anxious group during the competitive session. Additionally there was an increase in search rate for both groups during the competitive session, indicating a reduction in processing efficiency. Implications of this stud...
Io’s active volcanoes during the New Horizons era: Insights from New Horizons imaging

In February 2007, the New Horizons spacecraft flew by the Jupiter system, obtaining images of Io, the most volcanically active body in the Solar System. The Multicolor Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC), a four-color (visible to near infrared) camera, obtained 17 sets of images. The Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), a high-resolution panchromatic camera, obtained 190 images, including many of Io eclipsed by Jupiter. We present a complete view of the discrete point-like emission sources in all images obtained by these two instruments. We located 54 emission sources and determined their brightnesses. These observations, the first that observed individual Ionian volcanoes on short timescales of seconds to minutes, demonstrate that the volcanoes have stable brightnesses on these timescales. The active volcanoes Tvashtar (63N, 124W) and E. Girru (22N, 245W) were observed by both LORRI and MVIC, both in the near-infrared (NIR) and methane (CH4) filters. Tvashtar was additionally observed in the red filter, which allowed us to calculate a color temperature of approximately 1200 K. We found that, with some exceptions, most of the volcanoes frequently active during the Galileo era continued to be active during the New Horizons flyby. We found that none of the seven volcanoes observed by New Horizons multiple times over short timescales showed substantial changes on the order of seconds and only one, E. Girru exhibited substantial variation over minutes to days, increasing by 25% in just over an hour and decreasing by a factor of 4 over 6 days. Observations of Tvashtar are consistent with a current eruption similar to previously observed eruptions and are more consistent with the thermal emission of a lava flow than the fire fountains inferred from the November 1999 observations. These data also present new puzzles regarding Ionian volcanism. Since there is no associated surface change or low albedo feature that could be identified nearby, the source of the emission from E. Girru is a mystery. Furthermore, the in-eclipse glows we observe over many paterae are likely to be gas emission from interaction with the magnetosphere, but the details of that process are not clear.
Let's push things forward: disruptive technologies and the mechanics of tissue assembly

Although many of the molecular mechanisms that regulate tissue assembly in the embryo have been delineated, the physical forces that couple these mechanisms to actual changes in tissue form remain unclear. Qualitative studies suggest that mechanical loads play a regulatory role in development, but clear quantitative evidence has been lacking. This is partly owing to the complex nature of these problems – embryonic tissues typically undergo large deformations and exhibit evolving, highly viscoelastic material properties. Still, despite these challenges, new disruptive technologies are enabling study of the mechanics of tissue assembly in unprecedented detail. Here, we present novel experimental techniques that enable the study of each component of these physical problems: kinematics, forces, and constitutive properties. Specifically, we detail advances in light sheet microscopy, optical coherence tomography, traction force microscopy, fluorescence force spectroscopy, microrheology and micropatterning. Taken together, these technologies are helping elucidate a more quantitative understanding of the mechanics of tissue assembly.
Privacy and Property in the Global Datasphere

Adoption of information technologies is dependent upon the availability of information to be channeled via such technologies. Although many cultural approaches to information control have been identified, two increasingly ubiquitous regimes are battling for dominance in the international arena. These may be termed the utilitarian and the deontological approaches, and may be roughly identified with, respectively, the United States and the continental European tradition. Each approach has been aggressively promulgated by its respective proponent via international treaty regimes in the areas of privacy and intellectual property, to the virtual exclusion of other alternatives. Absent a drastic shift in international treaty dynamics, these dominant conceptions will likely curtail the development of alternate approaches that might otherwise emerge from local culture and tradition.
Device Exchange After Primary Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation: Indications and Outcomes

Background Patients are being supported for longer periods with implantable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) owing to longer transplantation wait times and approval of LVADs for destination therapy. This comes with an increased potential need for device exchange when complications arise. There are few data examining this patient population. Methods Between August 1998 and January 2012, 45 patients (34 men) underwent 57 device exchanges after primary pulsatile or continuous-flow LVAD implantation. The median age at the initial LVAD implantation was 58 years (range, 28–78 years) and the median time to first device exchange was 15 months (range, immediate–56 months). Indications for primary LVAD included bridge to transplantation in all but 10 patients, and devices included the HeartMate I (Thoratec, Pleasanton, CA) in 16 patients, the HeartMate II (Thoratec) in 21 patients, the HeartWare HVAD (HeartWare, Framingham, MA) in 2 patients, the DuraHeart I (Terumo Heart, Ann Arbor, MI) in 1 patient, and other devices in 5 patients. Indications for reoperation included device/component failure (n = 24), major driveline infection (n = 15), pump thrombus (n = 15), and other indications (n = 2). Results Pumps implanted in 57 reoperations included the HeartMate I in 15 patients, the HeartMate II in 35 patients, the HeartWare HVAD in 2 patients, the DuraHeart I in 2 patients, and other devices in 3 patients. Early mortality occurred in 2/57 (3.5%) patients. Median follow-up was 18 months (range, 1–113 months); median length of LVAD therapy after the first device exchange was 13 months (range, 1–59 months). Actuarial 1-year survival and freedom from repeated device exchange after the first exchange was 89% and 79%, respectively. Conclusions Device exchange may be required after LVAD implantation. This can be performed with low early mortality and no adverse effect on late survival. Multiple reoperations may be required in some patients.
In‐situ SEM observation of the fracture behaviour of titanium carbide/nickel aluminide composites

A range of experimental titanium carbide (TiC)/nickel aluminide (Ni3Al) composites have been developed. The Ni3Al content has been varied from 15 to 40 vol.%, for two different alloy compositions. The fracture behaviour of these composites was assessed in situ, within the chamber of a field emission gun scanning electron microscope. An applied moment double cantilever beam test geometry was employed, which allowed determination of the materials fracture resistance curve (or R-curve), while simultaneously monitoring crack–microstructure interactions. All of the tested materials exhibited a pronounced R-curve, with fracture resistance increasing with increasing crack length, up to a steady-state plateau value. The highest steady-state toughness values (up to 15 MPa m−1/2) were obtained for composites prepared with the highest Ni3Al binder content. In addition, these materials exhibited the highest strength and Weibull modulus. In-situ examination of the fracture process demonstrated considerable crack wake bridging by ductile Ni3Al ligaments, with bridging zone length of >100 μm often observed. The use of a displacement mapping technique has demonstrated that Ni3Al plastic deformation is highly localized around the crack, typically within one TiC grain width (i.e. ≈3–5 μm) away from the crack.
Penetrating ureteric injuries

Injury to the ureter is relatively rare. We retrospectively reviewed our experience with 21 cases of ureteric injury from penetrating trauma at the Lincoln Medical Center. Two injuries resulted from stab wounds and 19 from gunshot wounds. Total ureteric disruption occurred in 14 cases, partial transection in four and contusion in three. Preoperative screening was unreliable in accurately predicting the injury with hematuria being present in 66 per cent of cases. Similarly, intravenous urogram was diagnostic in 14 per cent and suspicious in another 42 per cent. Most injuries were diagnosed intraoperatively and exploration of the retro peritoneum remains the only definitive method of excluding ureteric injuries. Most patients were critically ill (mean ISS 27) due to associated injuries (90 per cent). Neither peritoneal contamination associated with hollow viscous injuries nor hypotension adversely affected the healing of ureteric anastomoses. Anastomotic leak developed in three (14 per cent) cases and one of them required operative correction. Another two patients developed infections related to the urinary tract.
Detection of interactions between myogenic and TGF mechanisms using nonlinear analysis

Previous studies using linear techniques have provided valuable insights into the dynamic characteristics of whole kidney autoregulation and have led to the general conclusion that the myogenic mechanism and tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) are highly nonlinear control mechanisms. To explore further the dynamic nature of these nonlinear autoregulatory mechanisms, we introduce the technique of nonlinear modeling using Volterra-Wiener kernels. In the past several years, use of Volterra-Wiener kernels for nonlinear approximation has been most notably applied to neurophysiology. Recent advances in algorithms for computation of the kernels have made this technique more attractive for the study of the dynamics of nonlinear physiological systems, such as the system mediating renal autoregulation. In this study, the general theory and requirements for using this technique are discussed. The feasibility of using the technique on whole kidney pressure and flow data is examined, and a basis for using the Volterra-Wiener kernels to detect interactions between physiological control mechanisms is established. As a result of this method, we have identified the presence of interactions between the oscillating components of the myogenic and the TGF mechanisms at the level of the whole kidney blood flow in normotensive rats. An interaction between these oscillatory components had previously been demonstrated only at the single-nephron level.
Fuel cell based hybrid power generation strategies for microgrid applications

A hybrid power generation system is a combination of two or more power generation sources to best make use of their individual operating characteristics and to obtain efficiencies greater than that could be obtained from a single power source. These hybrid power sources can be a combination of a fossil fuel based plant and a renewable energy source as in a gas turbine combined with a high temperature fuel cell based system or a combination of two or more renewable energy sources, like wind and solar. In this paper, hybrid power generation systems with different combinations of fuel cells and renewable energy sources for microgrid applications are discussed. The hybrid systems discussed in this paper are: combined cycle operation of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and a micro turbine; Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell and wind turbine; combination of SOFC and PEM fuel cell; and SOFC and solar thermal power generation system. The advantages and limitations of these strategies are also presented.
PCBs in schools—where communities and science come together

A novel aspect of the 8th International PCB Workshop at Woods Hole, MA, was the interaction between scientists and activists. While earlier workshops in this series had mentioned policy making, this Workshop focused on the problem of PCBs in schools. Focus on a problem brought an activist to give a plenary talk and facilitated a 1-day registration for other non-scientists to attend. The workshop was cohosted by the Superfund Research Programs at University of Iowa and Boston University and included active participation of each Program’s Research Translation and Community Engagement Cores. A mandate of each National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS)-funded Superfund Research Program is bidirectional communication between scientists and community groups. The authors describe the events leading up to community involvement in the Workshop and the substance of the community engagement aspects of the workshop, in particular the participation by a parent-teacher group, Malibu Unites. The authors also discuss the value of such communication in terms of making important research accessible to those who are most affected by the results and poised to use it and the value of making scientists aware of the important role they play in society in addressing difficult questions that originate in community settings.
The Amended Railroad Retirement Act and the Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance System Under the Social Security Act

U PON first glance, the Act of July 31, 1946, (Public Law 572), to amend the Railroad Retirement Act seems to be concerned with only a minor sector of our national system of social security. Hence, it has escaped the public eye that the influence of the new enactment upon our system of social security might be considerably more profound than that of the recent amendments to the Social Security Act itself. Actually, these latter amendments, as far as old-age and survivor's insurance is concerned, were limited to the elimination of some minor anomalies and administrative complications and to the introduction of a modicum of free insurance protection for survivors of veterans.' Although the railroad amendment, by implication, amends the Social Security Act in major respects, Congress considered it a pure railroad law. The Congressional committees discussing it were exclusively those concerned with railroad legislation2 rather than those concerned with social security legislation.3
SURG-20A MULTICENTER SURVIVAL ANALYSIS OF UPFRONT LASER-ABLATION FOR TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH NEWLY DIAGNOSED GLIOBLASTOMA

SURG-20. A MULTICENTER SURVIVAL ANALYSIS OF UPFRONT LASER-ABLATION FOR TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH NEWLY DIAGNOSED GLIOBLASTOMA Alireza Mohammadi1, Veronica Chiang2, Thomas Beaumont3, Paul Elson1, Gene Barnett1, and Eric Leuthardt3; Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA; Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA INTRODUCTION: Laser-ablation is a new treatment modality for difficult-to-access brain tumors. Limited data is available regarding the outcome of laser-ablation for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (nGBM). We evaluated the outcomes of nGBM patients utilizing laserablation via the NeuroBlate system (NBS). METHODS: 32 nGBM patients had upfront treatment with NBS in Cleveland Clinic, Washington University inSt. Louis, andYaleUniversity (6/2011-12/2014).8patientswithmultifocal nGBMs or no radiation/chemotherapy after surgery were excluded. Study endpoints: progression-free survival (PFS time to progression or death from any cause), time to progression (TTP; like PFS but with censored 4 patients who died with causes other than progression), overall survival (OS time to death from any cause), disease-specific PFS (DS-PFS), and disease-specific OS (DS-OS). Deaths from reasons other than progression were considered a competing risk for DSPFS and DSOS. Extent of ablation was defined by NBS software as blue (438C for 10 minutes) and yellow (438C for 2 minutes) thermal-damage-threshold (TDT)-lines. Using recursive partitioning algorithm three prognostic groups were identified in respect to coverage of tumor by TDT-lines as favorable (n 1⁄4 8 patients); intermediate (n 1⁄4 9 patients); and unfavorable (n 1⁄4 7 patients). RESULTS: 58% were male and median age was 54 years. The median tumor volume was 9.33 cm. 18 (75%) patients progressed and 15 (62%) patients have died during extended follow up. Median OS is estimated to be 14.4 months, median TTP 5.3 months, and median PFS 4.3 months. In multivariate analysis, NBS coverage groups were significant prognostic factor for PFS (p 1⁄4 0.008), TTP (p 1⁄4 0.0005), DS-PFS (p 1⁄4 0.0002), and DS-OS (0.0001). Only age. 70 years (p 1⁄4 0.04) and tumor volume .11 cm (p 1⁄4 0.03) were significant poor prognostic factors for OS. CONCLUSIONS: The NBS coverage groups are independent predictor of all outcomes other than OS that can be translated as surgical extent of resection in nGBM outcome. Neuro-Oncology 17:v214–v220, 2015. doi:10.1093/neuonc/nov235.20 Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology 2015.
The wall-pressure spectrum of high-Reynolds-number turbulent boundary-layer flows over rough surfaces

Experiments have been performed on a series of high-Reynolds-number flat-plate turbulent boundary layers formed over rough and smooth walls. The boundary layers were fully rough, yet the elements remained a very small fraction of the boundary-layer thickness, ensuring conditions free of transitional effects. The wall-pressure spectrum and its scaling were studied in detail. One of the major findings is that the rough-wall turbulent pressure spectrum at vehicle relevant conditions is comprised of three scaling regions. These include a newly discovered high-frequency region where the pressure spectrum has a viscous scaling controlled by the friction velocity, adjusted to exclude the pressure drag on the roughness elements.
Qualitative study exploring implementation of a point-of-care competency-based lumbar puncture program across institutions.

Abstract Objective To explore the factors that facilitated or hindered successful implementation of a multi-centered infant lumbar puncture (LP) competency-based education program that required interns to demonstrate skills readiness on a task trainer before performing their first clinical LP. Methods In 2013, investigators conducted a qualitative study utilizing semistructured interviews and focus groups of site directors (SDs) from the International Network for Simulation-Based Pediatric Innovation, Research, and Education (INSPIRE) who were responsible for implementing the LP competency-based education program. Transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory to identify and verify emergent themes and subthemes. Results Thematic saturation was attained after interviewing 19 SDs in 12 interviews and 3 focus groups. The most significant strategies and barriers were organized into 4 main themes: 1) alignment of different visions to obtain buy-in, 2) balance between providing education versus patient care, 3) acceptance of novel teaching paradigms, and 4) communication logistics. The ability to overcome barriers was influenced by institutional culture on trainee education, patient safety and research; the level of relational coordination between different groups of stakeholders; and the ability of SDs to identify and diversify entrepreneurial strategies. Conclusions INSPIRE SDs reveal the challenges of implementing a network-wide competency-based educational initiative that determines interns' readiness to perform LPs in clinical settings. Strategizing to align the common goals of graduate medical training, patient care and research instructs clinician educators and leaders on how to successfully change educational culture in academic medicine.
Chiral Catalyst-Directed Dynamic Kinetic Diastereoselective Acylation of Lactols for De Novo Synthesis of Carbohydrate

The control of the stereochemistry at the anomeric position is still one of the major challenges of synthetic carbohydrate chemistry. We have developed a new strategy consisting of a chiral catalyst-directed acylation followed by a palladium-catalyzed glycosidation to achieve high α- and β-stereoselectivity on the anomeric position. The former process involves a dynamic kinetic diastereoselective acylation of lactols derived from Achmatowicz rearrangement, while the latter is a stereospecific palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation.
Nanoscale potential distribution of grain boundary dependence on humidity of high performance Perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3) solar cell(Conference Presentation)

We report effects of controlled humidity in ambient condition on grain boundary potential and charge transport within the grains of Pervoskite films prepared by sequential deposited technique. Grain boundary exhibited variation of their electronic properties with change in humidity level from sample kept inside glove box to 75% RH. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicates the formation of PbI2 phase with increasing humidity level. The degradation of Pervoskite solar cell is mainly associated with the increase of PbI2 phase with increase in humidity level and hydration of the grain boundaries with the formation of hydrated phases. Spatial mapping of surface potential in the Perovskite film exhibits higher positive potential at grain boundaries compared to the surface of the grains. Grain boundary potential barrier were found to increase from ~35 meV to 80 meV for perovskite film exposed to 75% RH level compared to perovskite film kept inside glove box. Nanoscale current sensing measurement (Cs-AFM) shows that charge transport in perovskit solar cell strongly depends in humidity level. Performances of the solar cell was maximum for 25% humidity with 14.01 %. Transient measurement shows decrease in charge carrier life time and charge transport time with increase in humidity level. Our results show strong correlation between humidity level, electronic grain boundary properties and device performance.
“ARISE” to the Challenge with Adapted Recreation

While the past decade has generally witnessed an astounding growth and considerable progress in recreational sports facilities and programming, specific-related services and attention provided for ...
Characterization of Two Late-Stage Enzymes Involved in Fosfomycin Biosynthesis in Pseudomonads.

The broad-spectrum phosphonate antibiotic fosfomycin is currently in use for clinical treatment of infections caused by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative uropathogens. The antibiotic is biosynthesized by various streptomycetes, as well as by pseudomonads. Notably, the biosynthetic strategies used by the two genera share only two steps: the first step in which primary metabolite phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) is converted to phosphonopyruvate (PnPy) and the terminal step in which 2-hydroxypropylphosphonate (2-HPP) is converted to fosfomycin. Otherwise, distinct enzymatic paths are employed. Here, we biochemically confirm the last two steps in the fosfomycin biosynthetic pathway of Pseudomonas syringae PB-5123, showing that Psf3 performs the reduction of 2-oxopropylphosphonate (2-OPP) to (S)-2-HPP, followed by the Psf4-catalyzed epoxidation of (S)-2-HPP to fosfomycin. Psf4 can also accept (R)-2-HPP as a substrate but instead performs an oxidation to make 2-OPP. We show that the combined activities of Psf3 and...
Recurrence of moderately dysplastic nevi with positive histologic margins

Background The Pigmented Lesion Subcommittee of the Melanoma Prevention Working Group recently published a consensus statement that incompletely excised moderately dysplastic nevi (MDN) without clinical residual pigmentation can be observed and not re-excised. However, data regarding recurrence of MDN with positive histologic margins are quite scant. Objective We sought to extend the reported findings with a study to determine the recurrence rate of MDN with positive histologic margins. Methods We performed a retrospective study on MDN with positive histologic margins that were not re-excised and for which at least 1 year of clinical follow-up was available. Results We found a total of 147 such nevi from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2013. Six MDN (5 compound and 1 junctional) or 4% recurred with an average recurrence time of 1.7 years. All of these MDN were evaluated by shave biopsies. Limitations Subjectivity in grading of atypia is a limitation of this study. Conclusion These data from a large study focusing exclusively on recurrence of MDN with positive histologic margins support the conclusion of the Pigmented Lesion Subcommittee that incompletely excised MDN do not require re-excision.
28.5 A 10b 1.5GS/s pipelined-SAR ADC with background second-stage common-mode regulation and offset calibration in 14nm CMOS FinFET

High-speed SAR ADCs became popular with modern CMOS technologies because of their mostly digital logic, making them highly suitable for compact and power-efficient multi-GS/s time-interleaved ADCs. As many applications cannot tolerate input swings ≥1V ppd , comparator noise limits the SNDR of SAR ADCs, making gain stages necessary for higher SNDR - either as comparator pre-amplifiers or between pipelined stages. Pre-amplifiers significantly reduce the conversion speed of the ADC, but they provide maximum SNDR because linearity of the amplifier is irrelevant. An interstage amplifier for pipelining best suits mid-resolution SAR ADCs, where the required linearity is limited. Moreover, pipelining results in higher conversion speeds and power efficiency because the gain stage is used only once per conversion [1]. This work presents a pipelined-SAR ADC architecture that exceeds the conversion speed of previous pipelined and single-stage SAR ADCs. The ADC achieves 50dB SNDR and 950MS/s at 2.26mW, and 1.5GS/s at 6.92mW on an area of 0.0016mm2.