cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rituximab, Methotrexate, Procarbazine, and Vincristine Followed by Consolidation Reduced-Dose Whole-Brain Radiotherapy and Cytarabine in Newly Diagnosed Primary CNS Lymphoma: Final Results and Long-Term Outcome

Purpose A multicenter phase II study was conducted to assess the efficacy of rituximab, methotrexate, procarbazine, and vincristine (R-MPV) followed by consolidation reduced-dose whole-brain radiotherapy (rdWBRT) and cytarabine in primary CNS lymphoma. Patients and Methods Patients received induction chemotherapy with R-MPV (five to seven cycles); those achieving a complete response (CR) received rdWBRT (23.4 Gy), and otherwise, standard WBRT was offered (45 Gy). Consolidation cytarabine was given after the radiotherapy. The primary end point was 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) in patients receiving rdWBRT. Exploratory end points included prospective neuropsychological evaluation, analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) white matter changes using the Fazekas scale, and evaluation of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) as a prognostic factor. Results Fifty-two patients were enrolled, with median age of 60 years (range, 30 to 79 years) and median Karnofsky performance score of 70 (range, 50...
Transfer factor: past, present and future.

Adoptive transfer of cell-mediated immunity to specific antigens in humans was first demonstrated by Lawrence (1) in 1949, thus opening a new avenue of research that has led both to increased understanding of basic immune mechanisms and to the development of immunomodulation therapy. Law­ rence originally showed that transfer of whole viable lymphocytes from a normal tuberculin skin test-positive donor to a normal skin test-negative recipient resulted in a conversion of the recipient to skin-test positivity, but this observation created little interest in the immunologic community for several reasons. In 1955, the lymphocyte was mentioned for the first time as a possible immunologic organ. Traditionally, the lymphocyte had been studied in hematologic rather than in immunologic terms . In the third edition of his classic textbook on the anatomy of the lymphoid system, Professor A. Joffy of the University of Bristol proposed three questions to lymphocytes: "Where do you come from, where do you go and what do you do, if anything?" In 1962(2) , 1. Miller showed that the immune system in chickens could be divided into two components , namely the B lymphocyte derived from the bursal system (B cell) producing antibodies that protect against infection from microorganisms (pneumococcus , meningococcus, streptococcus, gonococ­ cus, etc) and thymic-dependent (T cell) systems that protect against fungi, parasites , viruses, mycobacteria, and cancer metastases . Previously, Law­ rence (3) demonstrated that delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity (DH) respon­ siveness could also be transferred by soluble extracts of leukocytes
Synthesis and properties of the first [Au(dien)(N-heterocycle)]3+ compounds.

Novel AuIII(dien)(N-heterocycle) compounds, including the first AuIIIN3(N-purine) examples, are reported. The acidity of the dien ligand is affected by the nature of the fourth ligand as a leaving group. The metal center of [Au(dien)(N-heterocycle)]3+ compounds was shown to be more stable to reduction than when Cl– is present, with consequences for reactivity with biomolecules: specifically, significant enhancement of π–π-stacking interactions with tryptophan relative to isostructural and isoelectronic platinum(II) and palladium(II) compounds.
Implementation effect of TB Control Program in Shijianzhuang City during 2001-2009

[Objective] To evaluate of the overall objectives and working targets performance of "TB Control Program" in Shijiazhuang City,to analyze the difficulties and problems during the process of implement. [Methods]Various reports of TB control works,outpatient service information and relevant documents of Shijiazhuang City were taken as data sources. [Results]During 2001-2009,43 378 active TB cases were found,42 185 cases were cured.Registration rate of TB increased from 38.88/100 000 in 2001 to 65.16/100 000 in 2009;new smear-positive registration rate increased from 29.75/100 000 in 2001 to 40.41/100 000 in 2009;The cure rate of new smear-positive patients was over 95%.Referral in place increased from 3 139 persons in 2005 to 5 344 persons in 2009.Follow-up in place rate increased from 67.81% in 2005 to 90.22% in 2009,overall in place rate from 83.39% in 2005 to 85.07% in 2009. [Conclusion]During the implementation of the "TB Control Program" in Shijiazhuang City,TB control work has achieved remarkable results,and has accumulated rich experience in management and treatment of TB,which provides the basis for next step of TB control planning.
Neurologic Diseases and Sleep

Sleep disorders and neurologic illness are common and burdensome in their own right; when combined, they can have tremendous negative impact at an individual level as well as societally. The socioeconomic burden of sleep disorders and neurologic illness can be identified, but the real cost of these conditions lies far beyond the financial realm. There is an urgent need for comprehensive care and support systems to help with the burden of disease. Further research in improving patient outcomes in those who suffer with these conditions will help patients and their families, and society in general.
Modeling Dormant Fruit Trees for Agricultural Automation

Dormant pruning of fruit trees is one of the most costly and labor-intensive activities in specialty crop production. We present a system that solves the first step in the process of automated pruning: accurately measuring and modeling the fruit trees. Our system employs a laser sensor to collect observations of fruit trees from multiple perspectives, and it uses these observations to measure parameters needed for pruning. A split-and-merge clustering algorithm divides the collected data into three sets of points: trunk candidates, junction point candidates, and branches. The trunk candidates and junction point candidates are then further refined by a robust fitting algorithm that models as cylinders each segment of the trunk and primary branches. In this work, we focus on measuring the diameters of the primary branches and the trunk, which are important factors in dormant pruning and can be obtained directly from the cylindrical models. We show that the results are qualitatively satisfactory using synthetic and real data. Our experiments with three synthetic and three real apple trees of two different varieties showed that the system is able to identify the primary branches with an average accuracy of 98% and estimate their diameters with an average error of 0.6 cm. Although the current implementation of the system is too slow for large-scale practical applications (it can measure approximately two trees per hour), our study shows that the proposed approach may serve as a fundamental building block of robotic pruners in the near future.
A Framework for Describing Big Data Projects

With the ability to collect, store and analyze an ever-growing diversity of data generated with ever-increasing frequency, Big Data is a rapidly growing field. While tremendous strides have been made in the algorithms and technologies that are used to perform the analytics, much less has been done to determine how the team should work together to do a Big Data project. Our research reports on a set of case studies, where researchers were embedded within Big Data teams. Since project methodologies will likely depend on the attributes of a Big Data effort, we focus our analysis on defining a framework to describe a Big Data project. We then use this framework to describe the organizations we studied and some of the socio-technical challenges linked to these newly defined project characteristics.
Pion energy measurement using ΔE detectors

Abstract The fractional resolution in the energy of low-energy pions as measured with silicon ΔE detectors is calculated and shown to be good enough for certain scattering experiments.
Is nano safe in foods? Establishing the factors impacting the gastrointestinal fate and toxicity of organic and inorganic food-grade nanoparticles

Nanotechnology offers the food industry a number of new approaches for improving the quality, shelf life, safety, and healthiness of foods. Nevertheless, there is concern from consumers, regulatory agencies, and the food industry about potential adverse effects (toxicity) associated with the application of nanotechnology in foods. In particular, there is concern about the direct incorporation of engineered nanoparticles into foods, such as those used as delivery systems for colors, flavors, preservatives, nutrients, and nutraceuticals, or those used to modify the optical, rheological, or flow properties of foods or food packaging. This review article summarizes the application of both inorganic (silver, iron oxide, titanium dioxide, silicon dioxide, and zinc oxide) and organic (lipid, protein, and carbohydrate) nanoparticles in foods, highlights the most important nanoparticle characteristics that influence their behavior, discusses the importance of food matrix and gastrointestinal tract effects on nanoparticle properties, emphasizes potential toxicity mechanisms of different food-grade nanoparticles, and stresses important areas where research is still needed. The authors note that nanoparticles are already present in many natural and processed foods, and that new kinds of nanoparticles may be utilized as functional ingredients by the food industry in the future. Many of these nanoparticles are unlikely to have adverse affects on human health, but there is evidence that some of them could have harmful effects and that future studies are required.
Taxonomic and Compositional Differences of Ground-Dwelling Arthropods in Riparian Habitats in Glen Canyon, Arizona, USA

The disturbance history, plant species composition, productivity, and structural complexity of a site can exert bottom-up controls on arthropod diversity, abundance, and trophic structure. Regulation alters the hydrology and disturbance regimes of rivers and affects riparian habitats by changing plant quality parameters. Fifty years of regulation along the Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam has created a no-analog, postdam “lower” riparian zone close to the water's edge that includes tamarisk (Tamarix sp.), a nonnative riparian shrub. At the same time, the predam “upper” facultative riparian zone has persisted several meters above the current flood stage. In summer 2009, we used pitfall traps within these 2 riparian zones that differ in plant composition, productivity, and disturbance frequency to test for differences in arthropod community (Hymenoptera, Arachnida, and Coleoptera) structure. Arthropod community structure differed substantially between the 2 zones. Arthropod abundance and species richness was highest in the predam upper riparian zone, even though there was a greater amount of standing plant biomass in the postdam lower riparian zone. Omnivore abundance was proportionately greater in the upper riparian zone and was associated with lower estimated productivity values. Predators and detritivores were proportionately greater in the postdam lower riparian zone. In this case, river regulation may create habitats that support species of spiders and carabid beetles, but few other species that are exclusive to this zone. The combined richness found in both zones suggests a small increase in total richness and functional diversity for the Glen Canyon reach of the Colorado River.
Optogenetics-Inspired Tunable Synaptic Functions in Memristors

Two-terminal memristors with internal Ca2+-like dynamics can be used to faithfully emulate biological synaptic functions and have been intensively studied for neural network implementations. Inspired by the optogenetic technique that utilizes light to tune the Ca2+ dynamics and subsequently the synaptic plasticity, we develop a CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3)-based memristor that exhibits light-tunable synaptic behaviors. Specifically, we show that by increasing the formation energy of iodine vacancy (VI·/VI×), light illumination can be used to control the VI·/VI× generation and annihilation dynamics, resembling light-controlled Ca2+ influx in biological synapses. We demonstrate that the memory formation and memory loss behaviors in the memristors can be modified by controlling the intensity and the wavelength of the illuminated light. Coincidence detection of electrical and light stimulations is also implemented in the memristive device with real-time (≤20 ms) response to light illumination. These results open optio...
Distributed sinusoidal resonant converter with high step-down ratio

A novel zero-current switching transformer-based sinusoidal resonant converter topology for point-of-load DC-DC conversion is presented in this paper. A sinusoidal resonant converter within a distributed power system, where high step-down ratios are required, is challenging due to the large parasitic impedance seen by the primary stage. A sinusoidal resonant converter with a distributed topology is introduced here to reduce the transformer turns ratio while maintaining a high step-down ratio. A power efficiency of 89.8% is achieved. The proposed distributed converter is highly scalable and exhibits sinusoidal current and voltage waveforms with low current spikes. Application to systems-in-package, wireless devices, and IoT is expected due to the low EMI and high efficiency characteristics of this distributed converter system.
An Accurate Analysis for Sandwich Steel Beams with Graded Corrugated Core Under Dynamic Impulse

This paper addresses the dynamic loading characteristics of the shock tube onto sandwich steel beams as an efficient and accurate alternative to time consuming and complicated fluid structure interaction using finite element modeling. The corrugated sandwich steel beam consists of top and bottom flat substrates of steel 1018 and corrugated cores of steel 1008. The corrugated core layers are arranged with non-uniform thicknesses thus making sandwich beam graded. This sandwich beam is analogous to a steel beam with web and flanges. Substrates correspond to flanges and cores to web. The stress–strain relations of steel 1018 at high strain rates are measured using the split-Hopkinson pressure. Both carbon steels are assumed to follow bilinear strain hardening and strain rate-dependence. The present finite element modeling procedure with an improved dynamic impulse loading assumption is validated with a set of shock tube experiments, and it provides excellent correlation based on Russell error estimation with the test results. Four corrugated graded steel core arrangements are taken into account for core design parameters in order to maximize mitigation of blast load effects onto the structure. In addition, numerical study of four corrugated steel core placed in a reverse order is done using the validated finite element model. The dynamic behavior of the reversed steel core arrangement is compared with the normal core arrangement for deflections, contact force between support and specimen and plastic energy absorption.
Interaction Between Race and Gender and Effect on Implicit Racial Bias Against Blacks

Background and aims: Exposure and vulnerability to racial discrimination is not solely a function of race but the intersection of race and gender, with Black men experiencing more discrimination than Black women. This phenomenon is explained by the subordinate male target hypothesis, suggesting that majority men specifically target men of color. If that is the case, implicit bias would be most common among the majority men. The current cross-sectional study investigated race by gender differences in implicit bias against Blacks. Methods: Data came from Harvard University’s Project Implicit, an online survey, conducted during 2006-2016. Data included 444422 implicit association tests (IATs) which were taken by Blacks (n=56384) and Whites (n=388038). Using IAT, the dependent variable was implicit bias against Blacks. Independent variables were race, gender, and age. Using SPSS, linear regressions were utilized to test the additive and multiplicative effects of race and gender on implicit bias against Blacks. Results: Race (b = 0.39; 95% CI = 0.38-0.39) and gender (b = 0.05; 95% CI = 0.05-0.05) were associated with IAT score suggesting higher implicit bias against Blacks among Whites and men. A significant interaction was found between race and gender (b = 0.05; 95% CI = 0.04-0.07), suggesting the highest level of implicit bias against Blacks among White men. Conclusion: It is not solely race and gender but their intersection that shapes social distribution of implicit bias against Blacks. This finding extends the previous literature showing that not solely race or gender but their intersection influences exposure to discrimination. Keywords: Ethnic groups, Racism, Racial discrimination, Race, Whites, Blacks, African Americans, Gender, Bias, Implicit bias
The Design of an Evidence-Based Competency Model

A nursing professional practice model is designed to provide a framework for how nursing practices, communicates, leads, collaborates, and provides the highest quality of care as individuals navigate the complex healthcare system. An infrastructure for learning, competency, and performance needs to be integrated into this model as a foundation for accelerating business and clinical initiatives, promoting standardization, and sharing successful practices. This article describes the process that a large healthcare system used to develop a 5-year strategy whose outcomes resulted in professional and foundational competency domains, assumptions about their use, and future work to align and embed these competencies into the current environment. It provides a road map for nursing professional development practitioners to identify evidenced-based competencies which reflect the professional practice model and then use it as a framework to impart the knowledge, skills, and judgment required for practicing professional nurses.
Prospective daily review of discharge medications by pharmacists: Effects on measures of safety and efficiency

Purpose Results of a pilot project to improve the safety and efficiency of the discharge process by adding daily pharmacist review and preparation of discharge medication orders to an existing discharge medication reconciliation workflow are reported. Summary Due to patient capacity issues, the pharmacy department of a large tertiary medical center implemented changes to the existing medication discharge workflow. A steering committee was established, with subgroups responsible for workflow development, electronic medical record enhancement, and data collection designated. Patients admitted to 5 hospitalist services, 1 otolaryngology service, and 1 gynecology service were included in pilot testing of a new discharge workflow over a 7-week period. The new workflow included pharmacist daily prospective preparation of discharge medication orders by “pending” (i.e., managing all aspects of) orders for providers to sign. After implementation, a 22% relative reduction ( p = 0.046) in pharmacist-identified medication-related problems was documented. Additionally, the proportion of discharges occurring before noon was increased on all services involved in the pilot project, including a significant increase (from 19% to 23%, p = 0.001) on the hospitalist services. Challenges identified during the pilot project included suboptimal initial provider acceptance and added pharmacist workload. On average, an additional 16.2 minutes of pharmacist time per patient was required for ordering of discharge medications throughout a patient stay. Conclusion Implementation of a discharge process that incorporated pharmacist pending of discharge medication orders throughout the patient stay improved measures of safety and efficiency of the discharge process.
In Vivo Uptake and Metabolism of Lactosylceramide on LDL in Homozygotes with Familial Hypercholesterolemia

We previously reported that LDL receptor negative homozygotes for familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) have elevated levels of glucosylceramide1 (GlcCer) and lactosylceramide (LacCer) in their plasma and LDL (1). Elevated levels of LacCer were also found in the urinary sediment of these patients where the LacCer was localized inside cytoplasmic vesicles of proximal tubular cells (PT) (2, 3). Freshly obtained urinary PT cells from FH homozygtes take up and store LacCer derived exogenously from LDL (4). To determine whether LacCer on LDL is taken up directly by PT cells, in vivo metabolic studies of LacCer on LDL were performed. We present here data that indicate that LacCer on LDL is taken up in vivo by FH patient s and stored in the kidney PT cells . Such PT cells containing [3H]LacCer are shed intact in the urine. Uptake of exogenously derived LacCer on LDL through a receptor independent mechanism promotes the storage of LacCer in homozygous FH patients.
Lutein or zeaxanthin supplementation suppresses inflammatory responses in retinal pigment epithelial cells and macrophages.

Recent studies indicate that an excessive inflammatory response is etiologically related to the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Epidemiologic studies suggest that dietary lutein and zeaxanthin intake is inversely associated systemic inflammation and risk for AMD. The objective of this work is to directly determine the effects of lutein and zeaxanthin supplementation on ocular and systemic inflammatory response. ARPE-19 cells and primary murine macrophages were cultured in the presence of 0, 1 and 10 μM lutein or zeaxanthin for 1–3 days and then stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in fresh medium for 8 h. Levels of IL-6, IL-8 and TNFα in the medium were determined by ELISA and used as indicators of inflammatory response. To test the anti-inflammatory effects of lutein/zeaxanthin in vivo, C57BL mice were fed diets containing 0, 0.02%, and 0.1% lutein or zeaxanthin for 3 months. Macrophages were isolated from peritonea and cultured in the presence of LPS for 16 h. Levels of IL-6 and TNFα in the medium were determined. Cultured RPE produced relatively high levels of IL-6 and IL-8 even in the absence of LPS, but levels of IL-6 and TNF〈 secreted by macrophages in resting state were barely detectable. Treatment of RPE and macrophages with LPS resulted in a dramatic increase in production of IL-6, IL-8, and TNFα. Supplementation with lutein suppressed LPS-stimulated production of these inflammatory mediators in both RPE and macrophages. These suppressive effects were dose dependent. Lutein supplementation to cultured RPE also suppressed the production of IL-6 and IL-8 in the absence of LPS stimulation. Furthermore, macrophages isolated from lutein-supplemented mice produced less IL-6 and TNFα upon LPS stimulation and the suppressive effects were also dose dependent. Supplementation with zeaxanthin suppressed the production of IL-8, but not IL-6. These data indicate that lutein and zeaxanthin have anti-inflammatory effects and that increased dietary lutein or zeaxanthin intake may reduce the risk for AMD via modulating ocular and systemic inflammation.
Physiological and Behavioral Analysis of Raphe Unit Activity

The psychological and behavioral effects of many psychoactive drugs are known to be mediated by an action upon neurochemically-identifiable sets of neurons within the CNS, such as those that contain norepinephrine, dopamine, or serotonin. It is, therefore, appropriate to devote a chapter in the Handbook of Psychopharmacology to an examination of the behavioral and physiological correlates of the activity of these systems. In the present chapter, we undertake to do this at a basic level of analysis, that of the single unit, for serotonergic (serotonin-containing) neurons within the CNS. Such neurons are defined as those that synthesize and utilize serotonin for interneuronal communication, by means of its release from presynaptic sites in either axons or dendrites. For the sake of completeness, however, it should also be noted that such neurons may use serotonin for intraneuronal communication, i.e., axon collateral auto-inhibition, and for communicating with nonneuronal tissue such as blood vessels, the ventricular wall, and the choroid plexus (Moore, 1981).
Piracy on the High Desert: the Long-Range Desert Group 1940–1943

From June 1940, when General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander in Chief of British Forces, Middle East, authorised then Major Ralph Bagnold to form the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), until near the end of the North African campaign in April 1943, the highly mobile, self-contained desert patrols of the LRDG maintained close watch on the movement of enemy troops and vehicles and attacked enemy military installations hundreds of kilometres behind their lines. This spirited ‘piracy on the high desert’ not only cost the Axis forces dearly in men and equipment, but tied up great numbers of troops and large quantities of arms and supplies to protect Axis positions from the threat of slashing hit-and-run attacks of LRDG patrols that seemed to materialise out of the desert suddenly and without warning. Key to the success of the LRDG was its skilful and imaginative utilisation of the terrain of the Libyan Desert, based on the experience and insight gained by Bagnold and a few close associates during their private expeditions in the region during pre-war years.
Online Power Control for 5G Wireless Communications: A Deep Q-Network Approach

The popularity of smart mobile devices has resulted in the surged growth of mobile data traffic, which makes current cellular communication systems overloaded. To accommodate the data, the current wireless communication system is evolving to a 5G wireless communication system that employs multiple technologies to boost its system capacity. We notice that non-line-of-sight (NLOS) transmission is ubiquitous in wireless communication systems, and is even more common in 5G wireless communication systems due to using millimeter-Wave (mmWave) communications. Previous works employ beamforming techniques to enhance NLOS transmission performance but suffer from the high cost for controlling antennas. In this paper, we propose a dynamic transmission power control scheme for improving NLOS transmission performance. Particularly, we explore the control of UE association with MBS/SBSs and power allocation to maximize UEs' sum-rate under the constraints of transmission power and UEs' quality of service (QoS). To solve this maximization problem, we propose a deep Q- network (DQN) scheme, in which we apply a convolutional neural network (CNN) to estimate the Q-function offline and conduct a deep Q-learning online to find the control strategy. We offer simulation results to show the efficacy of the proposed scheme.
Abstract 5870: CPSI-1306: A novel macrophage migration inhibitory factor inhibitor against aggressive breast cancer

Breast cancer is the leading cause of mortality in women, accounting for 23% of all cancer deaths, and one in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her life. Although there are therapies available, most tumors develop resistance. In addition, certain types of breast cancers, including high-grade metastatic and triple-negative breast cancer, have limited therapeutic options available. Thus, novel targeted therapeutic strategies are required for prevention of disease progression. Inflammation of breast tumors is a major confounding factor involved in tumor progression and metastasis. Therefore, targeting inflammatory microenvironment could be a major strategy to targets breast tumor progression. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) induces severe proinflammatory responses through tautomerase and also functions as a chemokine that mediates the recruitment of inflammatory cells. It has been shown that overexpression of MIF helps in recruiting macrophages to the tumor microenvironment (TME). We are evaluating the clinical efficacy of CPSI-1306, a small-molecular inhibitor of MIF, using in vitro and in vivo assays. Previous reports show that CPSI-1306 specifically inhibits keto-enol tautomerase activity of MIF. In silico analysis of publicly available data showed that higher expression of MIF negatively correlates with breast cancer patient overall, distant metastasis and relapse-free survival. Next, we analyzed the effect of CPSI-1306 on breast cancer in vitro and found that CPSI-1306 significantly induces apoptosis and reduces the viability of metastatic breast cancer MDA-MB 468 and MDA-MB 231 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Mechanistic studies showed that CPSI-1306 induced apoptosis by reducing mitochondrial membrane potential by increasing apoptogenic signals, including apoptosis induction factor (AIF) and Cytochrome-C. Further analysis revealed that CPSI-1306 inhibits activation of cell proliferation marker AKT in metastatic breast cancer cells. We further analyzed the clinical efficacy of CPSI-1306 in vivo, using preclinical MVT-1 mammary tumor orthotopic syngeneic mouse model, and observed that CPSI-1306 significantly reduces tumor growth and metastasis to the lungs. Histologic analysis revealed reduced number of Ki67-positive proliferative cells and CD31-positive blood vessels in CPSI-1306-treated tumors. Our studies revealed that CPSI-1306 could be used as a novel therapeutic agent against aggressive breast cancer. Citation Format: Subhadip Das, Nabanita Chatterjee, Sanjay Mishra, Dinesh K. Ahirwar, Sanjay Varikuti, Kirti Kaul, Rajni K. Shukla, Abhay R. Satoskar, Ramesh K. Ganju. CPSI-1306: A novel macrophage migration inhibitory factor inhibitor against aggressive breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5870.
Bartolomé Inga’s mining technologies: Indians, science, cyphered secrecy, and modernity in the new world

Print culture is allegedly the cornerstone of modernity, responsible for the rise of the ‘public sphere’. The Spanish Empire throws these tenets into question. Print culture never became a major fo...
Synthesis of Broadband Space-Time Diffraction-Free Wave Packets Using Transmissive Phase Plates

We demonstrate the synthesis of broadband diffraction-free space-time pulsed light sheets using transmissive phase plates. We produce propagation-invariant wave packets having a bandwidth of 30 nm from a multi-terawatt femtosecond laser.
Repetitive negative thinking predicts eating disorder behaviors: A pilot ecological momentary assessment study in a treatment seeking eating disorder sample

Abstract Background Repetitive negative thinking is a transdiagnostic process that occurs across several psychological disorders, including eating disorders. Individuals with eating disorders have higher levels of repetitive negative thinking than controls, and repetitive negative thinking is associated with eating disorder behaviors. However, no study has measured how momentary repetitive negative thinking may subsequently impact daily eating disorder behaviors and vice-versa. Method In the current study (N = 66, recently treated individuals recruited from an eating disorder treatment center), we examined the relationship between repetitive negative thinking and subsequent eating disorder behaviors and vice-versa using ecological momentary assessment. Results We found that higher momentary repetitive negative thinking predicted higher subsequent weighing and body checking. We also found that higher momentary meal-specific repetitive negative thinking predicted higher subsequent weighing and lower subsequent compensatory behavior. We also found that higher repetitive negative thinking predicted higher eating disorder symptoms at one-month follow-up. Conclusion There are short-term and long-term negative effects of repetitive negative thinking in the eating disorders. Targeting repetitive negative thinking may be important for decreasing eating disorder behaviors.
Benzodiazepine Use and Misuse Among Adults in the United States

Objective:Goals were to determine the prevalence of benzodiazepine use (as prescribed and misuse), characterize misuse, and examine variation by age.Methods:A cross-sectional analysis was conducted...
Indices quantitatifs de la regurgitation mitrale

La mesure du degre de regurgitation mitrale a toujours ete complexe et sujet a erreur. Avec le developpement de la chirurgie chez les patients asymptomatiques la quantification des fuites mitrales est devenue une necessite. Plusieurs methodes nouvelles ont ete developpees qui sont utilisables couramment et permettent de mesurer la severite de la lesion (orifice regurgitant effectif) et la surcharge volumetrique (volume et fraction regurgites) des fuites mitrales.
Natural History of Autosomal Recessive Stargardt Disease in Untreated Eyes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Study- and Individual-Level Data.

Topic Systematic review and meta-analysis of the natural history of autosomal recessive Stargardt disease (STGD1). Clinical Relevance Controversy exists regarding the progression pattern of atrophic lesions secondary to STGD1, and the reported growth rates vary widely among studies. Methods We searched in 6 literature databases up through March 15, 2019, to identify studies that monitored atrophy progression by fundus autofluorescence in untreated eyes with STGD1 for 6 months or more. We analyzed both study- and individual-level data from the included studies using 3 models: the area linear model (ALM), radius linear model (RLM), and area exponential model (AEM), in which the area, radius, and natural log–transformed area changes linearly with time, respectively. A horizontal translation factor was added to each dataset to correct for different participants’ entry times into the studies. The best model was determined by the predicted age of lesion onset and dependence of growth rates on baseline lesion sizes. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Results Of 3158 articles screened, 7 studies (564 eyes) met our inclusion criteria. Cumulative study- and individual-level datasets fit along a straight line in the RLM after introducing horizontal translation factors to correct for different entry times (r2 = 0.99 and r2 = 0.93, respectively). The growth rate of effective lesion radius was 0.104 mm/year (95% confidence interval, 0.086–0.123 mm/year). The age of atrophy onset predicted by the RLM (22.7±5.0 years) was comparable to the reported age at onset of symptoms (22.1±3.1 years); in contrast, the predictions by the ALM and AEM deviated from this number by more than 5 years. Based on the individual-level data, the effective radius growth rate was independent of the baseline lesion size (r = 0.06); in comparison, the growth rates of area and natural log-transformed area were significantly dependent on the baseline lesion size (r = 0.47 and r = –0.33, respectively). Conclusions The progression of STGD1 lesions followed the RLM in both study- and individual-level data. The effective radius growth rate of atrophic lesions could serve as a reliable outcome measure to monitor STGD1 progression.
Cortical Measures of Motor Planning and Balance Training in Patients With Chronic Ankle Instability.

Context Motor planning, a prerequisite for goal-driven movement, is a complex process that occurs in the cortex. Evidence has suggested that motor planning is altered in patients with chronic ankle...
Provider Practices and Perspectives regarding Collection and Documentation of Gender Identity

Recent recommendations to include patient sexual orientation (SO) and gender identity (GI) in the electronic health record (EHR) aim to improve clinical care and address health disparities among sexual and gender minority patients. Collection and documentation of GI may be complex due to multiple clinically relevant components. This study explored provider practices in collecting and documenting GI across multiple specialties. Qualitative interviews with 25 healthcare providers were transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis and principles of grounded theory were used to analyze the data. Without a protocol and absent dedicated locations in the EHR for collecting and documenting patient GI, provider practices were inconsistent and highlighted challenges for communication across clinical staff. Providers noted that patients' disclosure of GI was typically unprompted, or was presumed through disclosure of gender affirming treatments. Findings indicate the need for provider training and appropriate EHR fields to support GI collection and documentation.
Prospective gain-loss utility: Ordered versus separated comparison

Abstract Koszegi and Rabin (2006, 2007) develop a model of expectations-based reference-dependent preferences in which the agent experiences “gain-loss utility” by comparing his actual consumption outcome to all of his previously expected consumption outcomes. Koszegi and Rabin (2009) then generalize the static model to a dynamic setting by assuming that the agent experiences both contemporaneous gain-loss utility over present consumption and “prospective” gain-loss utility by comparing his updated to his previous expectations about future consumption. Moreover, Koszegi and Rabin (2009) generalize the outcome-wise “static comparison” of gain-loss utility to a percentile-wise “ordered comparison,” in which the agent compares expected consumption outcomes at each percentile. This paper generalizes the static comparison slightly differently, to what I call a “separated comparison.” In the separated comparison, the agent compares each expected consumption outcome but experiences gain-loss utility only over uncertainty that has been realized, by effectively separating it from remaining future uncertainty. This paper shows that the separated comparison yields simple, tractable, and well-behaved equilibria in a broad class of economic models. Moreover, the equilibria are easy to solve for because the separated comparison preserves an outcome-wise linear structure.
MaDnet: multi-task semantic segmentation of multiple types of structural materials and damage in images of civil infrastructure

Manual visual inspection is the most common means of assessing the condition of civil infrastructure in the United States, but can be exceedingly laborious, time-consuming, and dangerous. Research has focused on automating parts of the inspection process using unmanned aerial vehicles for image acquisition, followed by deep learning techniques for damage identification. Existing deep learning methods and datasets for inspections have typically been developed for a single damage type. However, most guidelines for inspections require the identification of multiple damage types and describe evaluating the significance of the damage based on the associated material type. Thus, the identification of material type is important in understanding the meaning of the identified damage. Training separate networks for the tasks of material and damage identification fails to incorporate this intrinsic interdependence between them. We hypothesize that a network that incorporates such interdependence directly will have a better accuracy in material and damage identification. To this end, a deep neural network, termed the material-and-damage-network (MaDnet), is proposed to simultaneously identify material type (concrete, steel, asphalt), as well as fine (cracks, exposed rebar) and coarse (spalling, corrosion) structural damage. In this approach, semantic segmentation (i.e., assignment of each pixel in the image with a material and damage label) is employed, where the interdependence between material and damage is incorporated through shared filters learned through multi-objective optimization. A new dataset with pixel-level labels identifying the material and damage type is developed and made available to the research community. Finally, the dataset is used to evaluate MaDnet and demonstrate the improvement in pixel accuracy over employing independent networks.
Winter of our contentment: Examining risk, pleasure, and emplacement in later-life physical activity

Abstract In the West, many in the media and the health sector emphasize physical activity as important for the old, so that they can circumvent the impacts of aging and the associated costs. At the same time, neoliberal health discourse advises older people to avoid activities that may cause injuries, such as slips and falls, creating contradictions for older people who participate in sports on ice. In light of these mixed messages, this paper explores how older men understand their bodies through their participation in the seemingly risky sport of ice hockey. I conducted eighteen semi-structured interviews with older Canadian men who played hockey, identifying common themes related to aging, embodiment, risk and pleasure. Participants were aware that common-sense discourse produced hockey as risky for the old, but often downplayed this risk, privileging pleasure. Discourses associated with pleasure acted as an important way for older men to examine their bodies and contemplate the significance of hockey in their lives. Through the comradery players developed with each other, their interactions with the material objects of hockey, and their emplacement on hockey rinks and arenas, they found ways to celebrate their bodies as both aging and capable of experiencing pleasure — implicitly challenging neoliberal discourses of old age in the process.
Depression, suicide risk, and declining to answer firearm-related survey items among military personnel and veterans

Objectives To describe the characteristics of military personnel and veterans who decline to answer survey items asking about firearm availability at home, and to determine how these characteristics compare to those of military personnel and veterans who answered these items. Methods Self-report surveys were administered to 2025 military personnel and veterans visiting a primary care clinic located at five military installations across the United States for a routine visit. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify factors that distinguished participants with firearms at home, participants without firearms at home, and participants who declined answering. Results In univariate analyses, participants who selected "refuse to answer" in response to an item asking about firearm access at home did not differ demographically from participants who selected "yes," but were significantly more likely to screen positive for depression and recent thoughts of death or self-harm. These differences were not statistically significant in multivariate analyses, however. Participants who selected "refuse to answer" or "yes" were significantly more likely than participants who selected "no" to be male, white, and previously deployed. Conclusions Military personnel and veterans who decline answering firearm-related survey items are indistinguishable from those who report having a firearm at home. Declining to answer firearm-related items is more common among those who screen positive for depression or recent thoughts of death or self-harm, but this association is statistically accounted for by demographic factors (i.e., male gender, white race).
Sleep Issues and Insomnia

Sleep disturbances are described as one of the most distressing symptoms associated with breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Approximately half of patients continue to report sleep disturbances up to 5 years after treatment, when many other effects of the cancer and its treatment have subsided. Factors that exacerbate sleep disturbances and that are associated with increased risk of insomnia disorder for patients with breast cancer are reviewed in the current chapter, along with assessment and treatment considerations. It is important to conduct thorough screening for the presence of sleep disorders in patients with breast cancer at various time points to identify appropriate treatments. Depending on time and resources available to providers, several screening options are discussed. Providers should not only manage treatment side effects, which exacerbate sleep disturbances, but should provide referrals for non-pharmacological treatment of sleep disturbance symptoms, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia. Pharmacological and complementary non-pharmacological treatment options may also be considered for management of sleep-related symptoms.
Avoiding Excess Computation in Asynchronous Evolutionary Algorithms.

Asynchronous evolutionary algorithms are becoming increasingly popular as a means of making full use of many processors while solving computationally expensive search and optimization problems. These algorithms excel at keeping large clusters fully utilized, but may sometimes inefficiently sample an excess of fast-evaluating solutions at the expense of higher-quality, slow-evaluating ones. We introduce a steady-state parent selection strategy, SWEET (“Selection whilE EvaluaTing”), that sometimes selects individuals that are still being evaluated and allows them to reproduce early. This gives slow-evaluating individuals that have higher fitnesses an increased ability to multiply in the population. We find that SWEET appears effective in simulated take-over time analysis, but that its benefit is confined mostly to early in the run, and our preliminary study on an autonomous vehicle controller problem that involves tuning a spiking neural network proves inconclusive.
Exploring Fission Enhanced Diffusion of Uranium in Uranium Dioxide Using Classical Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Fission fragment energy deposition in nuclear fuel has been experimentally observed to influence the diffusion of uranium. This deposition is initially dominated by inelastic interactions with the electronic structure. Subsequently, the energy is transported to the lattice through electron-phonon (e-p) coupling resulting in a thermal spike and an associated pressure gradient, which are presumed to contribute to diffusion enhancement. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to investigate uranium diffusion enhancement in UO2 while varying the e-p coupling. The model was composed of 10x60x60 unit cells and used a Buckingham potential. A two-temperature model captured energy deposition in the electronic subsystem and its transfer to a disordered region of the lattice. Experimentally, the fission enhanced diffusion coefficient of uranium in UO2 is observed to be proportional to fission rate density with a proportionality constant between 10−31 −10−29 cm5. The MD predicted proportionality constant showed reasonable agreement with experiment and decreased as the e-p coupling was weakened.
Lazy evaluation in logic

We generalize, simplify, and optimize the technique for doing lazy evaluation in logic programming proposed in [10]. Our approach is based on term rewriting and a strategy for the design of rewrite rules proposed in [1]. We describe a novel transformation scheme from a rewriting system \(\mathcal{R}\) to a logic program \(\mathcal{H}\), characterized by the fact that a reduction step is performed by \(\mathcal{H}\) only when needed. Improvements over [10] include: our approach can be applied to any constructor-based data type, the soundness and completeness conditions of the reduce rules are automatically provided for deterministic computations, the complexity of a logic computation is bounded by a simple function of the reduction being performed, and backtracking never occurs.