cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The biological information obtainable from circulating tumor cells

The reliable detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is possible by using immunomagnetic separation and subsequent characterization with the CellSpotter analyzer (Veridex LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company, Warren, NJ, USA). This technology is becoming a standard tool for the 'real-time' assessment of prognosis and response to treatment. The prognostic value is independent of the line of therapy (e.g. first-line versus second-line or more), site of metastasis (e.g. visceral versus soft tissue/bone), and subtype of disease (e.g. basal vs. luminal). Moreover, CTCs detection has been recently associated with worse outcome also in patients with primary breast cancer that have completed neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy. These findings suggest the need to further investigate the biology of CTCs. Several investigators have recently focused on determining the feasibility of performing the genotypic characterization of CTCs and correlate it with the expression of similar genes in primary or metastatic lesions. Some of the studies have used a recently introduced detection technology combining EpCAM-enrichment and PCR analysis (AdnaTest Breast Cancer, Adnagen AG, Germany). The studies seem to indicate that CTCs differ in the expression of hormone receptors and HER-2 compared to primary disease. Furthermore, some of the phenotypic assessment seems to suggest that a fraction of CTCs could be identified as cancer stem cells. Those data suggest interesting observations in the biology of those cells and indicate the possibility to evaluate targeted therapies based on the genomic profiling of CTCs, particularly with regards to HER-2 determination.
Holographic measurement of refractive-index profile of optical fibre preform

A holographic method of measuring the refractive-index profile of an optical fibre preform is presented. It uses the principle of shearing interferometry. The method is simple and allows measurements to be repeated even after the preform has been withdrawn for fibre drawing.
Vibriosis in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque)

. An epizootic due to Vibrio anguillarum was observed in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque). Lesions in infected fish included ulceration and petechiae on body surfaces, vent and caudal peduncle. Internally, haemorrhages in liver and kidney were present and the intestinal tract was filled with a clear viscous fluid. Using an isolant recovered during the epizootic, laboratory studies were conducted to determine (a) bacterial dynamics of the agent in blood, kidney and liver and (b) clinical haematologic and biochemical parameters in infected fish. Under conditions of the study, vibrios were apparently sequestered in kidney and liver during initial stages of infection (8–12 h after exposure). Later, bacterial numbers in blood were comparable to those in kidney and liver. Clinical parameters of infected catfish were suggestive of cellular and tissue destruction and renal dysfunction. Based upon data of the present study and those of others, vibriosis appears to be a disease in which the agent is localized in select tissues. Secondary septicaemia may be incidental to factors which compromise host defences.
Glycopeptide-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus: evaluation of a novel screening method and results of a survey of selected U.S. hospitals.

Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus with decreased susceptibilities to glycopeptide antimicrobial agents, such as vancomycin and teicoplanin, have emerged in the United States and elsewhere. Commercially prepared brain heart infusion agar (BHIA) supplemented with 6 μg of vancomycin per ml was shown in a previous study to detect glycopeptide-intermediate S. aureus (GISA) with high sensitivity and specificity; however, this medium, when prepared in-house, occasionally showed growth of vancomycin-susceptible control organisms. This limitation could significantly impact laboratories that prepare media in-house, particularly if they wished to conduct large surveillance studies for GISA. Therefore, a pilot study to detect GISA was performed with vancomycin-containing Mueller-Hinton agar (MHA) prepared in-house in place of commercially prepared BHIA. MHA was selected for this study because this medium is widely available and well standardized. The results of the pilot study showed that supplementation of MHA with 5 μg of vancomycin per ml was both a sensitive and a specific method for screening for GISA isolates. This method was used to screen for GISA among 630 clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus collected during 1997 from 33 U.S. hospitals. Although 14 S. aureus isolates grew on the screening agar, all were vancomycin susceptible (MICs were ≤1 μg/ml) by broth microdilution testing. Population analyses of five isolates revealed two with a subpopulation for which vancomycin MICs were 8 μg/ml. In summary, the MHA screen plate containing 5 μg of vancomycin per ml prepared in-house provides a sensitive and cost-effective method for large-scale screening for GISA for which vancomycin MICs are 8 μg/ml. However, confirmation of isolates as vancomycin resistant is critical. This study suggests that GISA was not a widespread problem in the United States in 1997.
Behavioral synthesis of field programmable analog array circuits

This article presents methods to translate a behavioral-level analog description into a Field Programmable Analog Array (FPAA) implementation. The methods consist of several steps that are referred to as function decomposition, macrocell synthesis, placement and routing, and postplacement simulation. The focus of this article is on the first three steps. The function decomposition step deals with decomposing a high-order system function into a set of lower-order functions. We present an efficient procedure for searching for an optimal solution. This procedure is based on first formally demonstrating the equivalence of two previously used optimization criteria. The objective of the macrocell synthesis step is to generate a hardware realization. A modified signal flow graph is introduced to represent FPAA circuits and graph transformations are used to identify the realizations that comply with the FPAA hardware constraints. The modified signal flow graph also allows scaling of capacitor values due to the limited set of allowable values in an FPAA. For the placement and routing step, an efficient method to estimate the circuit performance degradation due to parasitic effects is given. Using performance degradation as the cost function, an algorithm for finding an optimal FPAA placement and routing configuration is given. The efficacy of the methods developed is demonstrated by direct measurements on a set of filters.
Unstable Elastic Materials and the Viscoelastic Response of Bars in Tension

Some homogeneous elastic materials are capable of sustaining finite equilibrium deformations with discontinuous strains. For materials of this kind, the energetics of isothermal, quasi-static motions may differ from those conventionally associated with elastic behavior. When equilibrium states involving strain jumps occur during such motions, the rate of increase of stored energy in a portion of the body may no longer coincide with the rate of work of the external forces present. In general, energy balance now includes an additional effect due to the presence of moving strain discontinuities. As a consequence, the macroscopic response of the body may be dissipative. This fact makes it possible to model certain types of inelastic behavior in solids with the help of such "unstable" elastic materials; see, for example, Abeyaratne and Knowles (1987a,b,c).
Sensitivity analysis of combustion timing and duration of homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines

The goal of this paper is to investigate which factors have a more dominant effect and should be included in a control oriented model that predicts the start of combustion and combustion duration of a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine. Qualitative and quantitative information on the individual effects of fuel and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) on the HCCI combustion is provided. Using sensitivity analysis around several operating points obtained from an experimental gasoline HCCI engine, we find that temperature is the dominant factor in determining start of combustion. In determining combustion duration, temperature is not necessarily the dominant effect compared to composition. The influences from the fuel and oxygen compositions, however, either tend to cancel each other or are very limited at all the operating conditions we investigated. Therefore, a model without the composition terms should be adequate for model-based regulation of the combustion timing in an HCCI engine.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae requires expression of TonB and the putative transporter TdfF to replicate within cervical epithelial cells

Neisseria gonorrhoeae has evolved a repertoire of iron acquisition systems that facilitate essential iron uptake in the human host. Acquisition of iron requires both the energy-harnessing cytoplasmic membrane protein, TonB, as well as specific outer membrane TonB-dependent transporters (TdTs.) Survival within host epithelial cells is important to the pathogenesis of gonococcal disease and may contribute to the persistence of infection. However, the mechanisms by which gonococci acquire iron within this intracellular niche are not currently understood. In this study, we investigated the survival of gonococcal strain FA1090 within ME180 human cervical epithelial cells with respect to high affinity iron acquisition. Intracellular survival was dependent upon iron supplied by the host cell. TonB was expressed in the host cell environment and this protein was critical to gonococcal intracellular survival. Furthermore, expression of the characterized outer membrane transporters TbpA, FetA and LbpA and putative transporters TdfG, TdfH and TdfJ were not necessary for intracellular survival. Conversely, intracellular survival was dependent on expression of the putative transporter, TdfF. Expression of TdfF was detected in the presence of epithelial cell culture media containing fetal bovine serum. Expression was further modulated by iron availability. To our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate the specific requirement for a single iron transporter in the survival of a bacterial pathogen within host epithelial cells.
Contact and sheet resisstances of carbon nanotube forest in gas sensing applications

Here we report a systematic study on the contact and sheet resistances of vertically aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) forest in gas sensing applications. Four different methods: (1) transfer length method (TLM), (2) contact chain method, (3) Kelvin method and (4) four-point probe method have been implemented. Experimental results show prototype CNT forest with the stripe-shape of 100µm in height and 100µm in width has a sheet resistance of 100Ω/□ and contact resistance of less than 50Ω for an area of 100×100µm2. Consistent measurement results from the four methods validate the reliability of this study. When such CNT samples were tested as resistor-based gas sensors, results show 0.5ppm of NH 3 gas sensing resolution with a detection response time of one minute.
Temporal bone abnormalities associated with hearing loss in Waardenburg syndrome.

Objectives/Hypothesis: The objectives were to correlate audiometric thresholds with radiological findings and to determine the prevalence of inner ear radiological abnormalities in patients with hearing loss and Waardenburg syndrome. Study Design: The study was a retrospective review of patients with Waardenburg syndrome identified in a pediatric hearing-impaired population and human genetics clinic. Methods: Nine children with Waardenburg syndrome were identified. Eighty-nine children without sensorineural hearing loss served as control subjects. Clinical data, audiometric thresholds, and radiographic temporal bone measurements in these children were analyzed. Results: Seven children were identified with hearing loss and Waardenburg syndrome. Four children had Waardenburg syndrome type 1, and three children had Waardenburg syndrome type 2. The overall prevalence of hearing loss in the total study population with Waardenburg syndrome was 78%. The mean pure-tone average was 99 dB. All of the children had sensorineural hearing loss. The hearing outcome was stable in 86% of the children. Twelve temporal bones were available for radiological analysis by computed tomography. Enlargement of the vestibular aqueduct was found in 50% of the CT scans. There was a significant difference in measurements of vestibular aqueduct width at the midpoint between the patients with Waardenburg syndrome and the control group (P < .05). There were also significant differences in the measurements of the vestibule (P = .0484), internal auditory canal (P = .0092), and modiolus (P = .0045) between the children with Waardenburg syndrome and the control group. Conclusion: A profound sensorineural hearing loss was characteristic of the study population with Waardenburg syndrome. Overall, 100% of patients with hearing loss and Waardenburg syndrome had temporal bone anomalies on at least one measurement of their inner ear, and 50% had an enlargement of the vestibular aqueduct at the midpoint. As shown by computed tomography, enlargement of the vestibular aqueduct and the upper vestibule, narrowing of the internal auditory canal porus, and hypoplasia of the modiolus are features of Waardenburg syndrome.
Focal adhesion kinase: A prominent determinant in breast cancer initiation, progression and metastasis

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is an intracellular non-receptor tyrosine kinase. In addition to its role as a major mediator of signal transduction by integrins, FAK also participates in signaling by a wide range of extracellular stimuli including growth factors, G-protein-coupled receptor agonists, cytokines, and other inflammatory mediators. The link between FAK and breast cancers is strongly suggested by a number of reports showing that FAK gene is amplified and overexpressed in a large fraction of breast cancer specimens. In addition, increased FAK expression and activity frequently correlate with metastatic disease and poor prognosis. Since its discovery in early 1990s, numerous studies have shown a role for FAK in the regulation of cell spreading, adhesion, migration, survival, proliferation, differentiation, and angiogenesis. Many of these studies in cultured cells provided strong evidence to connect FAK expression/activation to the promotion of cancer. Recently, a prominent role of FAK in promoting mammary tumorigenesis, progression and metastasis has been unveiled by different animal models of human breast cancer, including xenograft models in immunodeficient rodents and spontaneous tumor models in transgenic mice that have specific deletion of FAK in the mammary epithelial cells during embryonic or postnatal development. These in vivo studies established FAK as a prominent determinant in mammary cancer initiation, progression and metastasis. Furthermore, a novel function of FAK in maintaining mammary cancer stem/progenitor cells in vivo has been recently reported, which may provide a novel cellular mechanism of FAK in promoting breast cancer initiation and progression. The wealth of knowledge accumulated over almost two decades of research on FAK should help to design potentially novel therapies for breast cancer.
Stress, memory, and emotion: developmental considerations from the study of child maltreatment

Emotion and memory are examined within a developmental framework. The point of departure for this discussion is the study of maltreated children whose traumatic experiences have been linked to difficulties in emotional development. It is suggested that cognitive processes such as memory and attention serve to link experience with emotion and emotion with psychopathology. Thus, an information processing approach is used to explain the development of maltreated children's adaptive and maladaptive coping responses. It is argued that maltreated children's association of affective stimuli with traumatic experiences and memories selectively alters the meaning of emotions for these children. More generally, the role of experience and learning as a component of emotional development is emphasized.
A Realist Philosophy of Social Science: Explanation and Understanding

This introduction to the philosophy of social science provides an original conception of the task and nature of social inquiry. Peter Manicas discusses the role of causality seen in the physical sciences and offers a reassessment of the problem of explanation from a realist perspective. He argues that the fundamental goal of theory in both the natural and social sciences is not, contrary to widespread opinion, prediction and control, or the explanation of events (including behaviour). Instead, theory aims to provide an understanding of the processes which, together, produce the contingent outcomes of experience. Offering a host of concrete illustrations and examples of critical ideas and issues, this accessible book will be of interest to students of the philosophy of social science, and social scientists from a range of disciplines.
Evaluating spreading activation for soft information fusion

A soft-information fusion process produces refined estimates of soft-information, such as natural language messages. Information resulting from a soft-information process can be used to retrieve related, relevant information from background (a-priori) knowledge sources using contextual “cues” contained in those messages, a process we call “Context-Based Information Retrieval (CBIR)”. These retrieval results can be used to aid further understanding, and other fusion operations (e.g., data association). CBIR process performance is dependent on the choice of algorithms and parameters for those algorithms, and it is crucial that these are chosen appropriately for the problem domain the CBIR algorithm is used to aid. In this paper an f-measure evaluation of two spreading activation algorithms and their parameters is given using a soft information fusion process in a counterinsurgency domain. This evaluation takes place in two phases. The first phase executes the algorithms over a range of values in order to determine how those parameters affect the performance of the algorithms, and to set these parameters for future use. The second phase compares the results of these algorithms using the parameter settings learned from the first phase.
Functional and Structural Assessment of Intercellular Communication Increased Conduction Velocity and Enhanced Connexin Expression in Dibutyryl cAMP–Treated Cultured Cardiac Myocytes

Remodeling of conduction pathways in the hypertrophic response to myocardial injury is a potential mechanism leading to the development of anatomic substrates of lethal arrhythmias. To delineate th...
Advanced intrarenal ureteroscopic procedures

The role of flexible ureteroscopy in the management of intrarenal pathology has undergone a dramatic evolution, powered by improvements in flexible ureteroscope design; deflection and image quality; diversification of small, disposable instrumentation; and the use of holmium laser lithotripsy. This article reviews the application of flexible ureteroscopy for advanced intrarenal procedures.
Information technology acquisition in the service sector

The objective of this research paper is to present and examine a conceptual model that helps realise the complexities of offshore outsourcing IT knowledge and service work. The model offers a simple yet potent way to recognise the intrinsic challenges that such strategies involve. The model compares well-established work in the manufacturing literature to present a sequential view of building organisational capability in offshore outsourcing in the IT service sector. The authors examined offshore sourcing decisions at three organisations through interviews with senior business executives in IT start-ups. A set of frameworks were developed to clarify sourcing options and aid managers in deciding which IT service functions to offshore outsource and which ones to retain in-house.
Algebraic and topological aspects of quantitative feedback theory

The design methodology of quantitative feedback theory (QFT) is by now a highly developed technique and has been applied with success to several industrial and military systems involving highly uncertain plants and disturbanes. However, the absence of theoretical rigor in some QFT statements have been challenged and assumed to imply that the basic theory is at best incomplete. Recently, it, was shown that the basic assumptions of QFT are not only correct and logically consistent, but also subsume and predate some of the more recent necessary conditions for reliable robust stabilization based on H/sup /spl infin//- optimization by about 20 years. The paper continues this algebraic and topological redevelopment of QFT. In particular, the basic description of uncertainty in QFT will be shown to imply the topological path connectedness of the underlying uncertain plant transfer matrix family; and hence a necessary condition for robust stabilizability. Furthermore, the admissibility of diagonal feedback compensators for some QFT problems implies the absence of unstable decentralized fixed modes with respect to diagonal constant output feedback for the entire uncertain plant transfer matrix family. These results indicate some ways for improving the efficiency and user-friendliness of current QFT-CAD software.
Public Opinion Gender Gaps among Sexual Minorities

Gender gaps in public opinion have been documented repeatedly among the general population on certain policy topics. Yet there has been little study of gender gaps among sexual minorities. Gender-correlated social norms and political ideology are the explanations offered most often to explain these gender gaps. Because there is reason to believe that norms and ideology among gay, lesbian, and bisexual people may be more similar across genders, it seemed reasonable to suspect that some of the common gender opinion gaps may disappear within this subpopulation. Using data from the 2008-2012 General Social Survey, I used factor and multiple regression analysis to study gender gaps in ideology, party identification, attitudes towards national priorities, and opinions on a number of social policies. I found that many of the gender gaps that exist in the broader population disappear or reverse direction among sexual minorities. The evidence and analysis largely supports a "political mobilization" explanation for gender gaps.
Temporal Trends in the Incidence and Natural History of Diverticulitis: A Population-Based Study

Temporal Trends in the Incidence and Natural History of Diverticulitis: A Population-Based Study
International Market Entry and Expansion via Independent or Integrated Channels of Distribution

Manufacturers introducing an industrial product to a foreign market face a difficult decision. Should the product be marketed primarily by captive agents (company salesforce and company distributio...
An enhanced CCRTM (E-CCRTM) damage imaging technique using a 2D areal scan for composite plates

A two-dimensional (2-D) non-contact areal scan system was developed to image and quantify impact damage in a composite plate using an enhanced zero-lag cross-correlation reverse-time migration (E-CCRTM) technique. The system comprises a single piezoelectric actuator mounted on the composite plate and a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) for scanning a region to capture the scattered wavefield in the vicinity of the PZT. The proposed damage imaging technique takes into account the amplitude, phase, geometric spreading, and all of the frequency content of the Lamb waves propagating in the plate; thus, the reflectivity coefficients of the delamination can be calculated and potentially related to damage severity. Comparisons are made in terms of damage imaging quality between 2-D areal scans and linear scans as well as between the proposed and existing imaging conditions. The experimental results show that the 2-D E-CCRTM performs robustly when imaging and quantifying impact damage in large-scale composites using a single PZT actuator with a nearby areal scan using LDV.
Multienzyme Kinetics and Sequential Metabolism

Enzymes are the catalysts of biological systems and are extremely efficient. A typical enzyme accelerates the rate of a reaction by factors of at least a million compared to the rate of the same reaction in the absence of the enzyme. In contrast to traditional catalytic enzymes, the family of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are catalytically promiscuous, and thus they possess remarkable versatility in substrates. The great diversity of reactions catalyzed by CYP enzymes appears to be based on two unique properties of these heme proteins, the ability of their iron to exist under multiple oxidation states with different reactivities and a flexible active site that can accommodate a wide variety of substrates. Herein is a discussion of two distinct types of kinetics observed with CYP enzymes. The first example is of CYP complex kinetic profiles when multiple CYP enzymes form the sample product. The second is sequential metabolism, in other words, the formation of multiple products from one CYP enzyme. Given the degree of CYP enzyme promiscuity, it is hardly surprising that there is also a high degree of complex kinetic profiles generated during the catalytic cycle.
The effect of education on foodservice manager job satisfaction.

We conducted a study to determine whether educational background (field of study and level of education) was related to the job satisfaction of foodservice managers. The Index of Organizational Reactions Questionnaire was used to measure specific components of job satisfaction based on a five-point Likert-style scale (1 =low satisfaction, 3 = moderate satisfaction, and 5 = high satisfaction). Questionnaires were mailed to the entire population of 256 foodservice managers employed in college and university dining facilities of a regional division of a major foodservice company in the northeastern United States. Names, titles, positions, and addresses of the managers were obtained from the company’s human resources department. Analysis of data was done through computation of the point-biserial correlation coefficient and the rank order correlation coefficient. Managers who responded to the questionnaire (74.6%) indicated moderate overall job satisfaction (mean = 3.42 on a 5-point scale). Of the respondents, 44% had an educational background in foodservice; these respondents had lower overall job satisfaction than did those having no education/training in foodservice. Both groups were most satisfied with the job components of supervision, type of work, and relationship with coworkers. Both groups were least satisfied with pay and benefits, company identification, and amount of work. A significant (p
Discriminative training of WFST factors with application to pronunciation modeling.

One of the most popular speech recognition architectures consists of multiple components (like the acoustic, pronunciation and language models) that are modeled as weighted finite state transducer (WFST) factors in a cascade. These factor WFSTs are typically trained in isolation and combined efficiently for decoding. Recent work has explored jointly estimating parameters for these models using considerable amounts of training data. We propose an alternative approach to selectively train factor WFSTs in such an architecture, while still leveraging information from the entire cascade. This technique allows us to effectively estimate parameters of a factor WFST using relatively small amounts of data, if the factor is small. Our approach involves an online training paradigm for linear models adapted for discriminatively training one or more WFSTs in a cascade. We apply this method to train a pronunciation model for recognition on conversational speech, resulting in significant improvements in recognition performance over the baseline model.
The bipolar prosthesis in avascular necrosis of the femoral head.

Abstract Data are presented from five studies assessing the results of hip joint replacements with bipolar prostheses or total hip arthroplasties. Long-term results of 23 cemented bipolar prostheses were comparable with 14 uncemented bipolar prostheses. Excellent or good results were obtained about 60% of the time. Groin pain was objectionable in at least 12% of the patients. In a study of 43 arthroplasties performed between 1971 and 1982 in 51 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and avascular necrosis of the femoral head, 29 cemented total hip arthroplasties were compared with 14 bipolar prostheses. Excellent or good results were obtained in 90% of the total hip arthroplasties and only 50% of the bipolar prostheses. A study of the complications and reoperations of both cemented and uncemented bipolar and total hip replacements performed between 1982 and 1986 showed a higher incidence of both complications and reoperations with the bipolar prosthesis. Clearly, the results of bipolar prostheses in avascular necrosis are inferior to those of total hip replacement.
TH-CD-209-01: A Greedy Reassignment Algorithm for the PBS Minimum Monitor Unit Constraint

Purpose: To investigate a Greedy Reassignment algorithm in order to mitigate the effects of low weight spots in proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) treatment plans. Methods: To convert a plan from the treatment planning system's (TPS) to a deliverable plan, post processing methods can be used to adjust the spot maps to meets the minimum MU constraint. Existing methods include: deleting low weight spots (Cut method), or rounding spots with weight above/below half the limit up/down to the limit/zero (Round method). An alternative method called Greedy Reassignment was developed in this work in which the lowest weight spot in the field was removed and its weight reassigned equally among its nearest neighbors. The process was repeated with the next lowest weight spot until all spots in the field were above the MU constraint. The algorithm performance was evaluated using plans collected from 190 patients (496 fields) treated at our facility. The evaluation criteria were the γ-index pass rate comparing the pre-processed and post-processed dose distributions. A planning metric was further developed to predict the impact of post-processing on treatment plans for various treatment planning, machine, and dose tolerance parameters. Results: For fields with a gamma pass rate of 90±1%, the metric has a standard deviation equal to 18% of the centroid value. This showed that the metric and γ-index pass rate are correlated for the Greedy Reassignment algorithm. Using a 3rd order polynomial fit to the data, the Greedy Reassignment method had 1.8 times better metric at 90% pass rate compared to other post-processing methods. Conclusion: We showed that the Greedy Reassignment method yields deliverable plans that are closest to the optimized-without-MU-constraint plan from the TPS. The metric developed in this work could help design the minimum MU threshold with the goal of keeping the γ-index pass rate above an acceptable value.
A Parallel Implementation of Extensive Cancellation Algorithm (ECA) for Passive Bistatic Radar (PBR) on a GPU

Passive Bistatic Radar (PBR) receives high interest because of exploiting existing signals of opportunity from the surrounding environment such as TV and Radio signals. It reduces the pollution and the interference since it doesn't require a dedicated transmitter. However, PBR needs a novel algorithm to detect the target accurately since the RF transmitted signals is not under the control of the radar designer and has a variable structure of the ambiguity function. So, novel adaptive cancellation filters such as Extensive Cancellation Algorithm (ECA) was designed which has proven to detect the target accurately. However, ECA is a computationally intensive algorithm. This work involves transformation of ECA by exploring opportunities of any computation and storage that can be eliminated. ECA algorithm also has been implemented on GPU by exploiting parallel and pipelining approaches. The computation time of our transformed algorithm has improved by a factor of 3.8. Also, the achieved speed-up of GPU over our sequentially transformed algorithm is improved by up to 20.8.
Approximation by perturbed neural network operators

This article deals with the determination of the rate of convergence to the unit of each of three newly introduced here perturbed normalized neural network operators of one hidden layer. These are given through the modulus of continuity of the involved function or its high order derivative and that appears in the right-hand side of the associated Jackson type inequalities. The activation function is very general, especially it can derive from any sigmoid or bell-shaped function. The right hand sides of our convergence inequalities do not depend on the activation function. The sample functionals are of Stancu, Kantorovich and Quadrature types. We give applications for the rst derivative of the involved function. 2010 AMSMathematics Subject Classi cation: 41A17, 41A25, 41A30, 41A36.
Considerations for valid accelerated life testing

For many situations, good estimates of the expected life of long-life materials, parts, or systems are essential. Practical considerations related to replacement costs, repair costs, maintenance costs, spare parts inventories, warranties, insurance, and safety all require good estimates of expected life. Unfortunately, such estimates are difficult to obtain. This is especially true for new systems when no field experience exists.
Non-violent threats and promises among closed-market drug dealers.

Abstract Background An unintended consequence of drug prohibitions is that they often fail to absolutely deter potential drug dealers and users and instead restrictively deter them. One way in which dealers sometimes alter their behaviour in response to these prohibitions is by using violent forms of social control to prevent their customers from committing careless behaviour or from becoming police informants. Many dealers, however, are reluctant to use violent forms of social control for various reasons. Little research has explored how these dealers use nonviolent threats and promises to prevent these behaviours among their customers and how these forms of social control then influence their perceptions of the risk of formal punishment. Methods To perform this examination, this paper employs information gathered through semi-structured interviews with 33 unincarcerated illicit drug sellers operating in and around St. Louis, Missouri. Results This group of drug dealers relied on threats of nonviolent outcomes to prevent their customers from behaving carelessly before, during, and after drug transactions and used implicit promises of continued rewards to dissuade customers from providing information to the police. They presumed that these measures reduced the likelihood of their customers committing these actions. This then decreased their perceptions of the risks of selling illicit drugs. Conclusion The present findings suggest that an unintended impact of drug prohibitions is that they sometimes restrictively deter drug dealers instead of preventing them from selling illicit drugs. They also suggest that restrictive deterrence among drug dealers can take the shape of social control. The findings also indicate that friendship norms can serve to inoculate dealers against the threat of formal punishment. Finally, the study suggests that levels of drug market violence may be related more to the nature of the relationships between drug market participants and their cultures.
Microsurgical vs. Endoscopic Excision of Colloid Cysts: An Analysis of Complications and Costs Using a Longitudinal Administrative Database.

Objective: Open microsurgical and endoscopic approaches are the two main surgical options for excision of colloid cysts. Controversy remains as to which is superior. Previous studies consist of small cohort sizes. This topic has not been investigated using national administrative claims data which benefits from larger patient numbers. Methods: Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Disease version 9 (ICD-9) coding at inpatient visit was used to select for index surgical procedures corresponding to microsurgical or endoscopic excision of colloid cysts. Comorbidities, costs, and complications were collected. Results: We identified a total of 483 patients. 240 were from the microsurgical cohort and 243 were from the endoscopic cohort. The two groups displayed similar demographic and comorbidity profiles. Thirty-day post-operative complications were also similar between groups with the exception of seizures and thirty-day readmissions, both higher in the open surgical cohort. The seizure rates were 14.7% and 5.4% in the microsurgical and endoscopic cohorts respectively (p = 0.0011). The thirty-day readmission rates were 17.3% and 9.6% in the microsurgical and endoscopic cohorts respectively (p = 0.0149). Index admission costs and 90-day post discharge payments were higher in patients receiving microsurgical excision. Conclusions: An analysis of administrative claims data revealed few differences in surgical complications following colloid cyst excision via microsurgical and endoscopic approaches. Post-operative seizures and thirty-day readmissions were seen at higher frequency in patients who underwent microsurgical resection. Despite similar complication profiles, patients undergoing microsurgical excision experienced higher index admission costs and 90-day aggregated costs suggesting that complications may have been more severe in this group.
Ultra-Violet Light as a Useful Tool for Identifying Fossil Mollusks, with Examples from the Gatun Formation, Panama

The color patterns of the 31 species illustrated here represent 30 species known from the Gatun Formation, and one that is new to the formation. These illustrations show the usefulness of ultra-violet light to distinguish morphologically similar forms, fossil and Recent.
Identification of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii endogenous genic flanking sequences for improved transgene expression.

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular green alga that has attracted interest due to its potential biotechnological applications and as a model for algal biofuel and energy metabolism. Despite all the advantages that this unicellular alga offers, poor and inconsistent expression of nuclear transgenes remains an obstacle for basic and applied research. We used a data mining strategy to identify highly expressed genes in Chlamydomonas whose flanking sequences were tested for the ability to drive heterologous nuclear transgene expression. Candidates identified in this search included two ribosomal protein genes, RPL35a and RPL23, and ferredoxin, FDX1, whose flanking regions including promoters, terminators and untranslated sequences could drive stable luciferase transgene expression to significantly higher levels than the commonly used Hsp70A-RBCS2 (AR) hybrid promoter/terminator sequences. The RPL23 flanking sequences were further tested using the zeocin resistance gene sh-ble as a reporter in monocistronic and dicistronic constructs, and consistently yielded higher numbers of zeocin-resistant transformants and higher levels of resistance than AR- or PSAD-based vectors. Chlamydomonas RPL23 sequences also enabled transgene expression in Volvox carteri. Our study provides an additional benchmark for strong constitutive expression of transgenes in Chlamydomonas, and develops a general approach for identifying flanking sequences that can be used to drive transgene expression for any organism where transcriptome data are available. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth: Should Screening Be Included in the Pre-fecal Microbiota Transplantation Evaluation?

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is safe and effective for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (rCDI) and often involves terminal ileal (TI) stool infusion. Patients report gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms post-FMT despite rCDI resolution. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) screening is not routinely performed pre-FMT. The effect of donor/recipient SIBO status on FMT outcomes and post-FMT GI symptoms is unclear. We aim to evaluate the value of pre-FMT SIBO screening on post-FMT outcomes and symptoms. This was a prospective pilot study of consecutive adults with rCDI undergoing FMT by colonoscopy at a tertiary center. Routine pre-FMT screening and baseline lactulose breath tests (LBTs) were performed for donors and recipients. Positive LBT required a rise > 20 ppm in breath hydrogen or any methane level > 10 ppm within 90 min. The presence of GI symptoms and CDI resolution were assessed 8 weeks post-FMT. Fisher’s exact/Student’s t tests were performed for statistical analyses. Twenty recipients (58.3 years, 85% women) enrolled in the study. Fourteen (70%) FMTs involved TI stool infusion. Four (20%) recipients and six (30%) donors had positive LBT pre-FMT. At 8 weeks post-FMT, 17 (85%) recipients had CDI resolution and five (25%) reported GI symptoms. Pre-FMT LBT result was not associated with post-FMT CDI resolution or GI symptoms. There was a trend toward increased GI symptoms among recipients receiving stool from LBT-positive donors (50 vs 14.2%, p = 0.09). FMT is effective and well tolerated for rCDI. Positive LBT in asymptomatic donors may have an effect on post-FMT GI symptoms. Larger studies are needed.
Best Practice Update: Incorporating Psychogastroenterology Into Management of Digestive Disorders.

Chronic digestive diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and inflammatory bowel diseases, cannot be disentangled from their psychological context—the substantial burden of these diseases is co-determined by symptom and disease severity and the ability of patients to cope with their symptoms without significant interruption to daily life. The growing field of psychogastroenterology focuses on the application of scientifically based psychological principles and techniques to the alleviation of digestive symptoms. In this Clinical Practice Update, we describe the structure and efficacy of 2 major classes of psychotherapy—cognitive behavior therapy and gut-directed hypnotherapy. We focus on the impact of these brain–gut psychotherapies on gastrointestinal symptoms, as well as their ability to facilitate improved coping, resilience, and self-regulation. The importance of the gastroenterologist in the promotion of integrated psychological care cannot be overstated, and recommendations are provided on how to address psychological issues and make an effective referral for brain–gut psychotherapy in routine practice.
Treatment modalities and outcomes of pleomorphic hyalinizing angiectatic tumor: a systematic review of the literature.

A systematic review of the cases documented in the literature regarding Pleomorphic hyalinizing angiectatic tumor of soft parts (PHAT) was performed in order to identify (1) location on presentation (2) surgical treatment modality (3) recurrence rate (4) any associations between location, age, histology, surgery type on recurrence. A systematic review of medical literature listed on PubMed was conducted identifying any prior case report and/or case series of diagnosed PHAT, with no exclusion based on language or time. Twenty-nine articles were identified removing any articles with duplicated cases yielding a total of 93 cases. Cases were broken down by gender, presenting location (UE/LE/axial), surgery type [wide local resection, non-wide local, wide local with radiation therapy (RT), non-wide local with RT], recurrence, and time to recurrence. The mean age at presentation was 54.5 ± 17.1 (range 10–89) with the 76% of cases appearing in the lower extremity (15% UE, 9% Axial). Of the 93 patients, 74 had a known surgical procedure, 31% WL, 40% NWL, 8% WL + RT, 1% NWL + RT. Of those treated surgically, 63 pts had documented follow-up and 18 (29%) had recurrence. A strong association was observed between surgery type and recurrence. Local recurrence was more common within the group undergoing NWLE in 52% (16/41) of cases (p = 0.002). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed an estimate mean time for recurrence of 43.87 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 24.52–63.22; and standard error (SE) 7.59] for the entire population. A trend was also seen toward males having a shorter disease-free survival than females (29.4 mos. vs. 69.5 mos.). No significant association seen between size, location, histology type and recurrence. PHAT has a characteristic presentation in the LE with a relatively high rate of local recurrence and slow-growing potential. Wide local excision appears to be superior in decreasing recurrence rates and a long-term follow-up period is needed.
Coordinated Optimal Network Reconfiguration and Voltage Regulator/DER Control for Unbalanced Distribution Systems

Network reconfiguration has long been used by distribution system operators to achieve certain operation objectives such as reducing system losses or regulating bus voltages. In emerging distribution systems with a proliferation of distributed energy resources (DERs), co-optimizing network topology and DERs’ dispatches could further enhance such operational benefits. This paper focuses on the optimal network reconfiguration problem of distribution systems via an unbalanced ac optimal power flow framework, which rigorously addresses operation characters of unbalanced network, DERs, and voltage regulators (VRs). Two VR models with continuous and discrete tap ratios are studied and compared. The proposed co-optimization problem is formulated as a mixed-integer chordal relaxation-based semidefinite programming model with binary variables indicating line-switching statuses and tap positions. Several acceleration strategies by studying the structure of distribution networks are explored for reducing the number of binary variables and enhancing the computational performance. Case studies on modified IEEE 34-bus and 392-bus systems illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Responsibility and collaboration in health team care.

Physicians are responsible for overseeing and collaborating with the expanded health care delivery team. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
A Heuristic Approach for Integrated Storage and Shelf-Space Allocation

We address the joint allocation of storage and shelf-space, using an application motivated by the management of inventory items at Outpatient Clinics (OCs). OCs are limited health care facilities that provide patients with convenient outpatient care within their own community, as opposed to having them visit a major hospital. Currently, patients who are prescribed a prosthetics device during their visit to an OC must often wait for it to be delivered to their homes from a central storage facility. An alternative is the use of integrated storage cabinets at the OCs to store commonly prescribed inventory items that could be given to a patient immediately after a clinic visit. We present, and illustrate with an actual example, a heuristic algorithm for selecting the items to be stocked, along with their shelf space allocations. The objective is to maximize total value based on the desirability of stocking the item for immediate dispensing. The heuristic model considers cabinet characteristics, item size and quantity, and minimum and maximum inventory requirements in order to arrive at the best mix of items and their configuration within the cabinet.