cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A novel intelligent classifier/recognizer employing vector quantization coding of nonorthogonal signal and preprocessed signal representations

Classification and recognition of one and multidimensional signals is one of the important tasks in emerging technologies, particularly communication systems. In this contribution, novel digital signal processing techniques are employed to achieve this task. Classification decision tree algorithms have been used recently in pattern recognition problems. In this paper, we are proposing a self-designing system, using the classification tree algorithms, capable of recognizing a large number of signals. Preprocessing techniques are used to make the recognition process more effective. A combination of the original as well as the preprocessed signals is projected into different transform domains. A large number of criteria, that characterize the signals, can be developed in these domains. At each node of the classification tree, an appropriately selected less-complex and more noise-immune criterion is optimized and employed by the vector quantization (VQ) design techniques to divide the signals, presented at that node in that stage, into two approximately equal groups. The use of VQ leads to high classification accuracy even with noisy data. At the terminal node of the tree, each signal is represented by a unique composite binary word index. Experimental results verify the excellent classification accuracy of this system even for noisy or corrupted data.
Neutronics performance of a helium-cooled solid breeder blanket and shield for ITER

A neutronics analysis of a helium gas-cooled Li4Si04 solid breeder blanket for ITER has been performed. The 60 cm-thick breeder blanket placed in the outboard zone of the tokamak is composed of ber...
NLRP12 Inflammasome Expression in the Rat Brain in Response to LPS during Morphine Tolerance.

Morphine, an effective but addictive analgesic, can profoundly affect the inflammatory response to pathogens, and long-term use can result in morphine tolerance. Inflammasomes are protein complexes involved in the inflammatory response. The nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor (NLR) Family Pyrin Domain Containing (NLRP) 12 (NLRP12) inflammasome has been reported to have anti-inflammatory activity. In this study, we examined the expression of NLRP12 inflammasome related genes in the adult F344 rat brain in response to the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the presence and absence of morphine tolerance. Morphine tolerance was elicited using the 2 + 4 morphine-pelleting protocol. On Day 1, the rats were pelleted subcutaneously with 2 pellets of morphine (75 mg/pellet) or a placebo; on Days 2 and 4 pellets were given. On Day 5, the animals were randomly assigned to receive either 250 µg/kg LPS or saline (i.p.). The expression of 84 inflammasome related genes in the rat brain was examined using a Ploymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) array. In response to LPS, there was a significant increase in the expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine/chemokine genes interleukin-1 beta (Il-1β), interleukin-6 (Il-6), C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (Ccl2), C-C motif chemokine ligand 7 (Ccl7), C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (Cxcl1), and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 3 (Cxcl3) and a significant decrease in the anti-inflammatory NLRP12 gene in both morphine-tolerant and placebo-control rats compared to saline-treated rats, although the changes were greater in the placebo-control animals. The Library of Integrated Network-Based Cellular Signatures’ (LINCS) connectivity map was used to analyze the list of affected genes to identify potential targets associated with the interactions of LPS and morphine tolerance. Our data indicate that, in the morphine tolerant state, the expression of NLRP12 and its related genes is altered in response to LPS and that the Vacuolar protein-sorting-associated protein 28 (VPS28), which is involved in the transport and sorting of proteins into sub-cellular vesicles, may be the key regulator of these alterations.
Use of direct oral anticoagulants for the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic disease in patients with reduced renal function: a short review of the clinical evidence.

Background The use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) is restricted by the limitations of clinical trials guiding therapy for patients with renal impairment, as many of these trials excluded patients with severe renal impairment. There are currently four agents available: dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban. The purpose of this review was to 1) describe current recommended dosing for each DOAC and published postmarketing data, including case reports, on the use of these agents in the renally impaired; and 2) discuss patient adherence and satisfaction and the cost of these agents. Materials and methods A literature search was conducted using Medline and Embase with the terms "dabigatran" or "rivaroxaban" or "apixaban" or "edoxaban" and "renal impairment". Clinical trials and case reports describing the use of DOAC therapy in patients with renal impairment were reviewed. A second search was conducted to find articles evaluating patient adherence, patient satisfaction, and pharmacoeconomics of DOACs. Results There are a multitude of subgroup and post hoc analyses, as well as six case reports with dabigatran and one case report with apixaban, that provide insight for the clinical use of DOACs in patients with renal impairment. Dabigatran exhibits the greatest level of renal elimination, and there are data from clinical trials and several case reports that warrant reconsideration before use. Other DOACs may be a better option in patients with impaired renal function. Further, data from patient-adherence studies have suggested that DOACs that are dosed daily (rather than twice daily) are optimal and preferred. There does not appear to be a cost difference between DOACs and warfarin therapy. Conclusion DOAC therapy in patients with impaired renal function requires more critical review of study data, as these patients may have increased risk of bleeding. It is also valuable to consider patient preferences and cost when selecting the appropriate option for oral anticoagulation.
Radial Head Dislocation

Congenital radial head dislocation or subluxation is not manifest at birth because the condition is difficult to detect clinically. Shortly after birth radiographically most of the radial head is cartilaginous. The condition is usually diagnosed years after birth and the patient has no associated history of trauma. The earliest detailed description of this condition was by Smith [1] in 1852 who performed an autopsy examination and described the pathologic findings in radial head dislocation to include the following: a relatively small underdeveloped forearm, a hypoplastic or absent humeral capitellum, a partially defective trochlea, a prominent ulnar epicondyle, an absence of the lesser sigmoid cavity on the radial aspect of the proximal ulna, a short ulna that does not reach the carpus distally, and a comparatively long radius that bypasses proximally the level of the elbow joint.
A Sensory Material Approach for Reducing Variability in Additively Manufactured Metal Parts

Despite the recent growth in interest for metal additive manufacturing (AM) in the biomedical and aerospace industries, variability in the performance, composition, and microstructure of AM parts remains a major impediment to its widespread adoption. The underlying physical mechanisms, which cause variability, as well as the scale and nature of variability are not well understood, and current methods are ineffective at capturing these details. Here, a Nickel-Titanium alloy is used as a sensory material in order to quantitatively, and rather rapidly, observe compositional and/or microstructural variability in selective laser melting manufactured parts; thereby providing a means to evaluate the role of process parameters on the variability. We perform detailed microstructural investigations using transmission electron microscopy at various locations to reveal the origins of microstructural variability in this sensory material. This approach helped reveal how reducing the distance between adjacent laser scans below a critical value greatly reduces both the in-sample and sample-to-sample variability. Microstructural investigations revealed that when the laser scan distance is wide, there is an inhomogeneity in subgrain size, precipitate distribution, and dislocation density in the microstructure, responsible for the observed variability. These results provide an important first step towards understanding the nature of variability in additively manufactured parts.
Distribution and chemical composition of estrogen receptor β neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the female and male mouse hypothalamus.

Activation of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ)-expressing neurons regulates the mammalian stress response via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. These neurons densely populate the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Recent research has revealed striking differences between rat and mouse PVN cytochemistry, but careful exploration of PVN ERβ neurons in mice has been hindered by a lack of specific ERβ antisera. Therefore, we used male and female transgenic mice expressing EGFP under the control of the mouse ERβ promoter (ERβ-EGFP) to examine the chemical architecture of PVN ERβ cells. Using immunohistochemistry, we found that 90% of ERβ-immunoreactivity (-ir) colocalized with EGFP. Cellular colocalization of EGFP with neuropeptides, transcription modulators, and neuronal tracers was examined throughout the PVN. ERβ-EGFP cells expressed oxytocin more abundantly in the rostral (71±3%) than caudal (33±8%) PVN. Arginine vasopressin colocalized with EGFP more often in females (18±3%) than males (4±1%). Moreover, estrogen receptor α-ir colocalized with ERβ-EGFP at low levels (15±3%). Using a corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH)-cre driver X tdTomato reporter mouse, we found a moderate colocalization with ERβ-ir (48±16%) in the middle PVN. Peripheral injection of fluorogold revealed that the rostral PVN ERβ-EGFP cells are neuroendocrine neurons whereas non-neuroendocrine (presumably pre-autonomic) ERβ-EGFP neurons predominated in the posterior PVN. These data demonstrate chemoarchitectural differences in ERβ neurons of the mouse PVN that are different from that previously described for the rat, thus, elucidating potential neuronal pathways involved in the regulation of the HPA axis in mice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The Results and the Future

The negotiations over the Iran nuclear agreement were successful because President Obama was determined not to save one of his most important foreign policy achievements. The opponents of the deal have not given up, however, and continue to work to undermine it. While a candidate, Donald Trump, said it was yet another horrible deal that he would tear up and renegotiate. As president, at least at the beginning of his term, he has been more cautious. Administration officials have continued to criticize it but have acknowledged that Iran is complying with it. They also know that America’s negotiating partners will not kill the agreement simply because the USA wants to end it. So, the future of the agreement is likely to remain uncertain.
Thomson's Jumping Ring Over a Long Coil

The classic jumping ring apparatus consists of a coil with an iron core that extends out of the coil. A copper or aluminum ring placed over the iron core jumps upward when AC power is applied to the coil. In this paper we will examine a modified design of the jumping ring apparatus, called the “long-coil design.” It allows the ring to jump upward or downward, depending on the starting position of the ring. These features shed significant light on the study of the force that causes the ring to jump.
A NEW SPECIES OF ANCOGNATHA FROM PANAMA (COLEOPTERA: SCARABAEIDAE: DYNASTINAE)

Ancognatha vexans is described as new from the mountains of Chiriqui Province in westem Panama. It is distinguished from similar species, and its diagnostic characters are illustrated. During my field studies on the dynastine scarabs of Panama, I collected a series of a new species of Ancognatha at Cerro Punta in Chiriqui Province. Recognition of this particular species proved to be challenging because, while it did not go through Endrodi's (1985) key well, it also appeared very close to other known species. It is described and distinguished below.
Constructing Dependable Distributed Systems Using Consul

Constructing the software for a distributed system that can continue to provide dependable service despite failures is a complex task. Consul is a communication substrate that simplifies this task by providing a collection of fundamental abstractions for implementing replicated processing. These include provisions for transmitting messages atomically and in some consistent order to a group of processes (atomic multicast), for detecting failures and agreeing on the resulting system composition (membership), and for reestablishing a consistent process state following failure (recovery). This chapter outlines the features provided by Consul and its implementation using the x-kernel.
Septra® DS (Burroughs Wellcome)

Septra DS is double strength Septra. The combination of a folic acid antagonist and a sulfonamide inhibits two consecutive steps in the biosynthesis of nucleic acids and proteins essential to many bacteria. The two compounds are synergistic against many common urinary and other type infections.
Atomic Order-Disorder Information from Magnetic Data

The effect of local atomic environment on the formation and on the magnitude of atomic dipole moments allows the study of order-disorder phenomena by means of magnetic measurements. The analysis of magnetization vs. field and temperature data for FeAl in terms of Brillouin functions gives the concentration of Fe on Al sites and it indicates the presence of magnetic clusters. Similar analysis of magnetization data for ternary alloys of Cu-Ni with low concentrations of Fe gives Fe-Fe short range order parameter values, which decrease with the Ni content and increase with the Fe concentration.
Parainfluenza Viruses of Humans

Parainfluenza viruses are among the most important and serious causes of pediatric respiratory diseases. This article examines the general properties of human parainfluenza viruses (hPIV-1–4). hPIVs belong to two genera, namely, the Respirovirus (hPIV-1 and -3) and the Rubulavirus (hPIV-2, -4a, and -4b); the PIV type 1 and type 3 may lead to respiratory tract infection causing croup, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia. All PIVs contain negative-sense genomes of approximately the same size (15K nucleotides) arranged in a single-stranded RNA molecule using the negative-strand strategy of virus replication. The negative-stranded genome of PIVs code for six proteins designated NP, P, M, F, HN, and L which is the order of the genes from the 3′ end. Transcriptional regulation of mRNA abundance is determined by the gene order. Two glycoproteins, HN and F, protrude from the lipid envelope of the virus particle. HN is involved in virus attachment to host cells; neuraminidase activity plays a vital role in virus release. A third HN function promotes F protein in virus penetration. The crystal structure has been determined for both HN and F. M protein plays a vital role in virus assembly. The nucleocapsid contains the enzymatic activity for virus transcription and replication. Reverse genetic techniques have facilitated understanding of viral protein structure and function.
Post-traumatic stress disorder. When the rescuer becomes the victim.

Many people associate PTSD with veterans of the Vietnam War. But emergency responders are also vulnerable to this condition when trauma takes its psychological toll. Language: en
Molecular Photosensitizers in Energy Research and Catalysis: Design Principles and Recent Developments

Molecular photosensitizers play a key role in many areas of renewable-energy chemistry and technology, including dye-sensitized solar cells and photocatalysis reactions that generate small-molecule...
Are Disclosures Sufficient? A Micro Analysis of Impact in the Financial Services Market:

Policymakers recognize that investments and investment decisions are vitally important to the financial stability of many families. Poor investment advice may result in decisions which may, in a li...
Spherically Quasinormal Pairs of Commuting Operators

We first discuss the spherical Aluthge and spherical Duggal transforms for commuting pairs of operators on Hilbert space. Second, we study the fixed points of these transforms, which are the spherically quasinormal commuting pairs. In the case of commuting 2-variable weighted shifts, we prove that spherically quasinormal pairs are intimately related to spherically isometric pairs. We show that each spherically quasinormal 2-variable weighted shift is completely determined by a subnormal unilateral weighted shift (either the 0-th row or the 0-th column in the weight diagram). We then focus our attention on the case when this unilateral weighted shift is recursively generated (which corresponds to a finitely atomic Berger measure). We show that in this case the 2-variable weighted shift is also recursively generated, with a finitely atomic Berger measure that can be computed from its 0-th row or 0-th column. We do this by invoking the relevant Riesz functionals and the functional calculus for the columns of the associated moment matrix.
Inertia dynamics of the Myard RCRCR constant-velocity coupling

A methodology has been developed for determining the inertia loads on the joints of a spatial mechanism in motion where the equations of motion are set up automatically by computer coding consideri...
Immune mechanisms in non-Hodgkin lymphoma: Joint effects of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) G308A and interleukin 10 (IL10) T3575A polymorphisms with environmental exposures

1761 Immune alteration is the major risk factor for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), but the specific immune mechanisms remain unresolved. Immune responses depend on environmental/infectious agents which elicit immunologic memory and inherited immune genes, which are highly polymorphic. Two immune gene polymorphisms (TNF G308A and IL10 T3575A) hypothesized to result in increased TNFα levels and promote a Th1/proinflammatory immune response recently were demonstrated to increase NHL risk. To clarify the mechanisms involved in lymphomagenesis from environmental risk factors associated with NHL, we evaluated the effects of suspected environmental risk factors in the presence or absence of a hypothesized proinflammatory milieu conferred by the TNF G308A or IL10 T3575A genotypes. Using data from 1,172 NHL cases and 982 population-based controls from a U.S. multi-center study, we calculated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for all NHL combined and the two most common NHL subtypes (diffuse large B-cell (DLBCL) (n=371) and follicular lymphoma (n=280)). We found that the recognized risk of NHL associated with autoimmune conditions was apparent only among those with the TNF G308A variant allele (GA or AA genotype) (OR=1.7, 95% CI=0.9-3.4) or IL10 T3575A variant allele (TA or AA genotype) (OR=1.5, 95% CI=0.9-2.4). These results were consistent for both DLBCL and follicular lymphoma. We also found that elevated DLBCL risk associated with being last-born was present only among those with TNF G308A GA/AA genotypes (ORNHL=1.9, 95% CI=1.0-3.6; ORDLBCL=2.5, 95% CI=1.1-6.0) or IL10 T3575A TA/AA genotypes (ORNHL=1.7, 95% CI=1.1-2.5; ORDLBCL=2.7, 95% CI=1.6-4.8). No effect was seen for follicular lymphoma, regardless of genotype. Similarly, elevated DLBCL risk associated with obesity (body mass index of 35+ versus
Role of radiation therapy for pediatric upper extremity extraskeletal osteosarcoma: A case series.

Background Extraskeletal osteosarcoma is an extremely rare disease, comprising less than 0.1% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States, of which less than 5% occur in the upper extremities. The management of two cases of pediatric upper extremity extraskeletal osteosarcoma is discussed. Case description Two children initially noticed painless left upper extremity masses at the ages of 16 and 13, respectively. Following a period of several months, both lesions became symptomatic, necessitating operative intervention, which revealed giant cell-rich extraskeletal osteosarcoma; PET staging following gross total resection revealed no residual or metastatic disease in either patient. After extensive discussion with the patients and family, adjuvant chemotherapy was initiated for one patient, and adjuvant radiation therapy was initiated in both patients. Conclusions Despite the rarity of these tumors, the importance of radiation therapy has been established by current and ongoing studies such as the Children's Oncology Group study ARST0332. Radiation therapy remains an important component of the multimodality therapy comprising optimal treatment of this disease, despite the relative paucity of long-term outcome data derived from level I evidence.
Reversed metabolic reprogramming as a measure of cancer treatment efficacy in rat C6 glioma model.

Background Metabolism in tumor shifts from oxidative phosphorylation to inefficient glycolysis resulting in overproduction of lactate (Warburg effect), and cancers may be effectively treated if this imbalance were corrected. The aim of this longitudinal study of glioblastoma in a rat model was to determine whether the ratio of lactate (surrogate marker for glycolysis) to bicarbonate (for oxidative phosphorylation), as measured via in vivo magnetic resonance imaging of hyperpolarized 13C-labeled pyruvate accurately predicts survival. Methods C6 Glioma implanted male Wistar rats (N = 26) were treated with an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor antibody B20.4.1.1 in a preliminary study to assess the efficacy of the drug. In a subsequent longitudinal survival study, magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) was used to estimate [1-13C]Lactate and [1-13C]Bicarbonate in tumor and contralateral normal appearing brain of glioma implanted rats (N = 13) after injection of hyperpolarized [1-13C]Pyruvate at baseline and 48 hours post-treatment with B20.4.1.1. Results A survival of ~25% of B20.4.1.1 treated rats was noted in the preliminary study. In the longitudinal imaging experiment, changes in 13C Lactate, 13C Bicarbonate and tumor size measured at baseline and 48 hours post-treatment did not correlate with survival. 13C Lactate to 13C Bicarbonate ratio increased in all the 6 animals that succumbed to the tumor whereas the ratio decreased in 6 of the 7 animals that survived past the 70-day observation period. Conclusions 13C Lactate to 13C Bicarbonate ratio (Lac/Bic) at 48 hours post-treatment is highly predictive of survival (p = 0.003). These results suggest a potential role for the 13C Lac/Bic ratio serving as a valuable measure of tumor metabolism and predicting therapeutic response.
A Curricular Critique of School Dress Codes

The absence of comprehensive educational theory regarding dress codes results in deference to community norms as a way to determine implementation and compliance. Implementing dress codes ultimatel...
Instagram as a tool for study engagement and community building among adolescents: A social media pilot study

ObjectiveSocial media has been recognized as a promising tool for delivering health interventions and facilitating study recruitment. However, research is needed to understand how social media migh...
Chapter 5 – Elastic Waves

This chapter presents a review of elastic wave propagation in elastic media. The chapter adopts an incremental step-by-step approach to the description and presentation of the wave propagation problem, which can become quite complicated in some cases. The chapter starts with the discussion of the simplest case of wave propagation – the study of the axial waves propagating in a straight bar, which is used to develop fundamental principles of wave propagation, such as: wave equation and wave speed; d’Alembert (generic) solution and separation of variables (harmonic) solution; the contrast between wave speed and particle velocity; acoustic impedance of the medium; the wave propagation at material interfaces. The concept of standing waves is introduced, and the correspondence between standing waves and structural vibration is established. The power and energy associated with wave propagation in a simple bar are introduced and discussed. Next, the chapter discusses flexural waves and introduces the new concepts of evanescent waves, dispersion, group velocity, and energy velocity. The discussion of wave propagation is extended to 2-D; axial and flexural waves in plates are presented in rectangular and circular coordinates. The last part of the chapter deals with bulk waves in 3-D. The general equations of 3-D wave propagation in unbounded solid media are developed from first principles. The eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the wave equation are identified. The two corresponding basic wave types, pressure waves and shear waves, are discussed. Dilatational, rotational, irrotational, and equivolume waves are identified and discussed. The case of z-invariant wave propagation is presented.
Deep learning LI-RADS grading system based on contrast enhanced multiphase MRI for differentiation between LR-3 and LR-4/LR-5 liver tumors

Background To develop a deep learning (DL) method based on multiphase, contrast-enhanced (CE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to distinguish Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) grade 3 (LR-3) liver tumors from combined higher-grades 4 and 5 (LR-4/LR-5) tumors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis. Methods A total of 89 untreated LI-RADS-graded liver tumors (35 LR-3, 14 LR-4, and 40 LR-5) were identified based on the radiology MRI interpretation reports. Multiphase 3D T1-weighted gradient echo imaging was acquired at six time points: pre-contrast, four phases immediately post-contrast, and one hepatobiliary phase after intravenous injection of gadoxetate disodium. Image co-registration was performed across all phases on the center tumor slice to correct motion. A rectangular tumor box centered on the tumor area was drawn to extract subset tumor images for each imaging phase, which were used as the inputs to a convolutional neural network (CNN). The pre-trained AlexNet CNN model underwent transfer learning using liver MRI data for LI-RADS tumor grade classification. The output probability number closer to 1 or 0 indicated a higher possibility of being combined LR-4/LR-5 tumor or LR-3 tumor, respectively. Five-fold cross validation was used for training (60% dataset), validation (20%) and testing processes (20%). Results The DL CNN model for LI-RADS grading using inputs of multiphase liver MRI data acquired at three time points (pre-contrast, arterial, and washout phase) achieved a high accuracy of 0.90, sensitivity of 1.0, precision of 0.835, and AUC of 0.95 with reference to the expert human radiologist report. The CNN output of probability provided radiologists a confidence level of the model's grading for each liver lesion. Conclusions An AlexNet CNN model for LI-RADS grading of liver lesions provided diagnostic performance comparable to radiologists and offered valuable clinical guidance for differentiating intermediate LR-3 liver lesions from more-likely malignant LR-4/LR-5 lesions in HCC diagnosis.
The Linear Algebra of Graphs

Graphs are encountered in many real-world settings, such as the Web, social networks, and communication networks. Furthermore, many machine learning applications are conceptually represented as optimization problems on graphs. Graph matrices have a number of useful algebraic properties, which can be leveraged in machine learning. There are close connections between kernels and the linear algebra of graphs; a classical application that naturally belongs to both fields is spectral clustering (cf. Section 10.5).
Pulmonary vein rehabilitation

Abstract Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) in children is a progressive disease with poor outcomes. Surgical and catheter-based interventions can provide immediate relief of stenosis, but re-stenosis is common, often progressive, and can be fatal. We pursued serial balloon angioplasty (BA) to treat patients with recurrent PVS at our center. We performed a retrospective chart review and data analysis of all children (age
Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma: combining cytopathology with molecular testing to achieve diagnostic accuracy

Introduction Advances in the genetics of soft tissue neoplasia have allowed for the diagnostic recognition of specific tumor types from small biopsy specimens, including those procured using the fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy technique. Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma (EMC) is a malignant mesenchymal neoplasm characterized by NR4A3 and, less specifically, by EWSR1 gene rearrangements. A series of EMC cytologic specimens was examined to demonstrate the diagnostic value of incorporating fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) testing in cytologic cases of suspected EMC. Materials and methods A search was made of our cytopathology and surgical pathology databases for cases diagnosed as EMC. FNA biopsy cytology, exfoliative cytology, imprint cytology, and FISH analysis were performed and examined using standard techniques. Results A total of 16 cases of EMC were retrieved from 15 patients (male/female ratio, 2.8:1; mean age, 62 years). Of the 15 patients, 10 were new patients with primary tumors, 2 had locally recurrent tumors, and 4 had metastases. The sites included the extremities in 10 cases, the trunk in 4, serous effusion in 1, and a mediastinal lymph node in 1 case. The specific cytologic diagnoses were EMC (14 cases; 88%), suspicious for EMC (n = 1), and malignant cells (n = 1). All cases for which FISH testing was successfully used were specifically recognized as EMC. Aspirates and imprint smears consisted of uniformly rounded cells set in an opaque myxoid/chondromyxoid stroma (less abundant and more diaphanous in the effusion sample), sometimes arranged in short anastomosing cords. FNA of 1 case of an EMC cellular variant mimicked a malignant small rounded cell tumor. Conclusion EMC can be added to the growing list of soft tissue neoplasms that are specifically recognizable using cytopathology, coupled with judicious application of ancillary molecular testing.
Committed to Rights: UN Human Rights Treaties and Legal Paths for Commitment and Compliance

International treaties are the primary means for codifying global human rights standards. However, nation-states are able to make their own choices in how to legally commit to human rights treaties. A state commits to a treaty through four commitment acts: signature, ratification, accession, and succession. These acts signify diverging legal paths with distinct contexts and mechanisms for rights change reflecting legalization, negotiation, sovereignty, and domestic constraints. How a state moves through these actions determines how, when, and to what extent it will comply with the human rights treaties it commits to. Using legal, archival, and quantitative analysis this important book shows that disentangling legal paths to commitment reveals distinct and significant compliance outcomes. Legal context matters for human rights and has important implications for the conceptualization of treaty commitment, the consideration of non-binding commitment, and an optimistic outlook for the impact of human rights treaties.
Time scales of mixing in an imperforate scleractinian coelenteron

Coelentera are the largest components by volume in the gastrovascular system connecting polyps in a scleractinian colony. Thus to understand colony connectivity which is predicted to affect corals response to environmental change, we must first describe the dynamics inside these gastric cavities of individual polyps. We determined key time scales of mixing in coelentera by using microelectrodes to measure oxygen concentration after a light-to-dark transition in three polyps each of three colonies of Montastraea cavernosa in the laboratory. The gastrovascular system was modeled as an electrical network where voltage represents oxygen concentration, current represents oxygen flux, capacitors represent volume compartments, and resistors represent impedance to oxygen flux. The time constant of mixing, defined as the time needed for the system to disperse 63.2% of the fluid in the coelenteron, was determined from the oxygen dynamics in the coelenteron as modeled by a resistor-capacitor network. Time constants were on the order of three minutes and oxygen dynamics were well fit by the model prediction. However, as polyps depleted oxygen, we observed small magnitude ([~] 0.1 ppm), high-frequency fluctuations in oxygen concentration. A power spectral density analysis identified two time scales of high-frequency mixing in the coelenteron. The greatest variance occurred at a period of 48.3 {+/-} 2.8 sec, with a secondary peak seen at 35.9 {+/-} 2.3 sec. The microenvironment within polyps of M. cavernosa can respond as fast or faster than their external environment can fluctuate, thus scleractinian polyps have the capacity to mediate their response to changing environmental conditions. Summary StatementUsing dissolved oxygen microelectrodes, we measured time scales of internal mixing in the gastric cavity of Montastraea cavernosa to be on the order of three minutes and shorter.
Robust Multiple Sclerosis Lesion Inpainting with Edge Prior

Inpainting lesions is an important preprocessing task for algorithms analyzing brain MRIs of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, such as tissue segmentation and cortical surface reconstruction. We propose a new deep learning approach for this task. Unlike existing inpainting approaches which ignore the lesion areas of the input image, we leverage the edge information around the lesions as a prior to help the inpainting process. Thus, the input of this network includes the T1-w image, lesion mask and the edge map computed from the T1-w image, and the output is the lesion-free image. The introduction of the edge prior is based on our observation that the edge detection results of the MRI scans will usually contain the contour of white matter (WM) and grey matter (GM), even though some undesired edges appear near the lesions. Instead of losing all the information around the neighborhood of lesions, our approach preserves the local tissue shape (brain/WM/GM) with the guidance of the input edges. The qualitative results show that our pipeline inpaints the lesion areas in a realistic and shape-consistent way. Our quantitative evaluation shows that our approach outperforms the existing state-of-the-art inpainting methods in both image-based metrics and in FreeSurfer segmentation accuracy. Furthermore, our approach demonstrates robustness to inaccurate lesion mask inputs. This is important for practical usability, because it allows for a generous over-segmentation of lesions instead of requiring precise boundaries, while still yielding accurate results.
Gait and Knee Flexion In Vivo Kinematics of Asymmetric Tibial Polyethylene Geometry Cruciate Retaining Total Knee Arthroplasty.

The preservation of the posterior cruciate ligament in cruciate retaining (CR) total knee arthroplasty (TKA) designs has the potential to restore healthy knee biomechanics; however, concerns related to kinematic asymmetries during functional activities still exist in unilateral TKA patients. As there is a limited data available regarding the ability of the contemporary CR TKA design with concave medial and convex lateral tibial polyethylene bearing components to restore healthy knee biomechanics, this study aimed to investigate in vivo three-dimensional knee kinematics in CR TKA patients during strenuous knee flexion activities and gait. Using a combined computer tomography and dual fluoroscopic imaging system approach, in vivo kinematics of 15 unilateral CR TKA patients (comparison of replaced and contralateral nonreplaced knee) were evaluated during sit-to-stand, step-ups, single-leg deep lunge, and level walking. The patient cohort was followed-up at an average of 24.5 months ( ± 12.6, range 13–42) from surgical procedure. Significantly smaller internal knee rotation angles were observed for the contemporary CR TKA design during step-ups (2.6 ± 5.8 vs. 6.3 ± 6.6 degrees, p
VACUUM ENERGY OF SCHRÖDINGER OPERATORS ON METRIC GRAPHS

We present an integral formulation of the vacuum energy of Schrodinger operators on finite metric graphs. Local vertex matching conditions on the graph are classified according to the general scheme of Kostrykin and Schrader. While the vacuum energy of the graph can contain finite ambiguities the Casimir force on a bond with compactly supported potential is well defined. The vacuum energy is determined from the zeta function of the graph Schrodinger operator which is derived from an appropriate secular equation via the argument principle. A quantum graph has an associated probabilistic classical dynamics which is generically both ergodic and mixing. The results therefore present an analytic formulation of the vacuum energy of this quasi-one-dimensional quantum system which is classically chaotic.
Gastric Emptying Abnormalities in Diabetes Mellitus

Gastric Emptying Abnormalities in Diabetes Persistent gastric emptying problems require diagnosis and management. Postprandial dyspepsia and impaired plasma glucose regulation are commonly thought ...
Global Medicine in China: A Diasporic History. By Wayne Soon,. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2020. 328 pp. ISBN: 9781503611931 (cloth)

[...]of his many international connections and his own globally inflected identity, Lim was able to radically transform the nature of wartime health delivery. [...]I was less persuaded by Soon's assertion that the Chinese Communist Party drew on Lim's wartime innovations in their subsequent efforts to encourage mass mobilization of medical personnel, shorten and simplify medical training, and implement basic universal healthcare. [...]a less theorized but equally important contribution of Soon's study is the way it highlights the role of institutions, financial resources, and personnel networks in directing biomedical research and practice.
Smooth Aggregation of Bayesian Agents

I study the ex-ante aggregation of preferences of Bayesian agents in a purely subjective framework. Unlike Gilboa et al. (2004), I relax the assumption of Bayesian society while keeping the Pareto condition. Under a simple axiom that relates society’s preference to those of the agents, I obtain an additive separable representation of society’s preference. A strengthening of this axiom leads to a representation that resembles the Smooth Ambiguity Criterion of Klibanoff et al. (2005). I then study the properties of this representation, characterizing when society can be deemed to be ambiguity averse. I then briefly consider applications of this framework to study the Precautionary Principle and treatment choice under ambiguity.
Classifying False Alarms in Camera Trap Images using Convolutional Neural Networks

Wildlife trapping cameras often capture false alarms when triggered by blowing vegetation or cloud shadows moving across the ground. Identifying these false alarms and distinguishing them from true capture events (images of actual animals, human, vehicle) requires a substantial amount of personnel time. Here we explore how convolutional neural networks can be used to develop an automated computer screening model for filtering out the false alarms. The models screening threshold can be varied to suit the requirements of the given camera network. For cameras used for real-time public education and outreach, a low screening threshold can be used. Based on using a screening threshold of 0.5 on a specific Tensorflow model, false alarms were classified with an average accuracy of 88.83 ± 4.29% and true capture events with 91.83±2.85% on a dataset of 23,930 images. A high screening threshold should be used for research purposes. By choosing a threshold of 0.97, only 0.37% of true capture events are misclassified and about 50% of false alarms are correctly classified, saving between 5.5 and 11 eight-hour workdays of personnel time. As part of this study, we also explore some of the ramifications of deploying the existing model to classify images from new camera networks.
Orexin contributes to eupnea within a critical period of postnatal development.

Orexin neurons are active in wakefulness and mostly silent in sleep. In adult rats and humans, orexin facilitates the hypercapnic ventilatory response, but has little effect on resting ventilation. The influence of orexin on breathing in the early postnatal period, and across states of vigilance, have not been investigated. This is relevant as the orexin system may be impaired in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) cases. We addressed three hypotheses: 1) orexin provides a drive to breathe in infancy; 2) the effect of orexin depends on stage of postnatal development; 3) orexin has a greater influence on breathing in wakefulness compared to sleep. Whole-body plethysmography was used to monitor breathing of infant rats at three ages: postnatal days (P) 7-8, 12-14, 17-19. Respiratory variables were analyzed in wakefulness (W), quiet sleep (QS), and active sleep (AS), following suvorexant (5 mg/kg, i.p), a dual-orexin receptor antagonist, or vehicle (DMSO). Effects of suvorexant on ventilatory responses to graded hypercapnia (FICO2=0.02, 0.04, 0.06), hypoxia (FIO2=0.10) and hyperoxia (FIO2=1.0) at P12-14 were also tested. At P12-14, but not at other ages, suvorexant significantly reduced respiratory frequency in all states, reduced the ventilatory equivalent in QW and QS, and increased PaCO2 ~5mmHg. Suvorexant had no effect on ventilatory responses to graded hypercapnia or hypoxia. Hyperoxia eliminated the effects of suvorexant on respiratory frequency at P12-14. Our data suggest that orexin preserves eupneic frequency and ventilation in rats, specifically at ~2 weeks of age, perhaps by facilitating tonic peripheral chemoreflex activity.
Introduction to International Relations: Chapter 4

Our world is a turbulent place full of threats to personal security, community security, and national security. These elements all come together when leaders consider international security for their citizens and the protection of their sovereign states. Over the past 70 years, security has become more complex; it is no longer as simple as considering only nuclear armaments and military strikes. Governments, communities, and the individual human citizens within these societies need to be secure from terrorism, natural disasters, and cyberthreats. This chapter will consider the concept of security and threats to security on several levels. International security includes a variety of actions, starting with diplomacy. At times, it includes a calculated inaction to maintain the survival of all humanity. Military actions, negotiations, and treaties are drafted and redrafted to protect all from aggression in the world.
Strange Bedfellows: The Normalization of Anti-Abortion Reform

As the U.S. abortion debate continues into its fifth decade since Roe v. Wade, pro-life groups are increasingly aiming to align themselves and their messages with classically “feminist” or “liberal” interests. Pro-life groups now heavily focus on women’s rights as a platform for advancing their ideological arguments and achieving legislative measures that ultimately restrict access to abortion. The use of such platforms allows anti-abortion sentiment to appear more palatable to a broader swath of women while enabling the pro-life movement to soften its image and improve its appeal. This strategy, which I will refer to as pro-life “normalization,” manifests itself most clearly in law and politics, wherein pro-life advocates frame their anti-abortion arguments in broadly appealing, women’s rights-oriented terms. This ironic alignment is demonstrated through three examples that collectively represent an underlying effort to normalize anti-abortion reform and portray it as a branch of women’s rights: 1) advocacy for the expansion of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), particularly in the context of the recently decided Supreme Court case of Young v. UPS; 2) political advocacy organizations’ support for pro-life women candidates and the creative framing of anti-abortion legislation in election campaigns; and 3) anti-abortion legislation that restricts abortions specifically performed for sex-selection purposes. In each of these examples, there is a deliberate appeal to ideals many women already value such that, in theory, there is not much of a leap from supporting feminist concerns to supporting the pro-life movement writ large. This connection is so close because, as each example shows, the ultimate goal of chipping away at abortion rights is portrayed as secondary, if it is acknowledged at all. Rather, the pro-life presence is positioned as advocating something different from abortion, be it pregnancy rights or tax reform. The pro-life movement’s normalization strategy has seemingly gained traction in recent years as pro-life feminism targets “a new generation of young women who reject the illusion that to be pro-woman is to be pro-choice.” The examples discussed in this paper are indeed contemporary ones that, when taken as a whole, seem to coalesce into indications of a dominant trend. This paper adds to this area of abortion scholarship by demonstrating how pro-life advocates, legislators, and courts are currently drawing on feminist and women’s rights movements to advance abortion bans and normalize anti-abortion sentiment.
Associative N2 Fixation with Azospirillum

The association of specific microorganisms with plant roots is an ancient observation. The most obvious examples are pathogenic in nature, where the effects of the microorganism on the plant are usually plainly visible as damage to root tissue, which is also often devastating to the health of the host plant. The study of this general category of root-microbe associations is encompassed in a separate scientific discipline, that of plant pathology. Unique to these associations is the specificity that is involved. For example, it is well established that any plant is not uniformly resistant or susceptible to microorganisms in general. A microbe which destroys one plant species may be without effect on a different species. The recorded number of variations on this theme is without limit. The generalization can then be made that plants of different kinds may be affected by (interact with) specific microbes in the soil environment. The possible reasons for this specificity are incompletely known but are certainly based on the genetics of the organisms involved.
Dynamics of the orientation-tuned membrane potential response in cat primary visual cortex.

Neurons in the primary visual cortex are highly selective for stimulus orientation, whereas their thalamic inputs are not. Much controversy has been focused on the mechanism by which cortical orientation selectivity arises. Although an increasing amount of evidence supports a linear model in which orientation selectivity is conferred upon visual cortical cells by the alignment of the receptive fields of their thalamic inputs, the controversy has recently been rekindled with the suggestion that late cortical input—delayed by multiple synapses—could lead to sharpening of orientation selectivity over time. Here we used intracellular recordings in vivo to examine temporal properties of the orientation-selective response to flashed gratings. Bayesian parameter estimation demonstrated that both preferred orientation and tuning width were stable throughout the response to a single stimulus.