cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Parameatal Urethral Cysts in Prepubertal Males

Purpose: Parameatal urethral cyst in boys is an uncommon and often poorly understood condition. We describe the largest known series of 18 prepubertal boys with parameatal cysts.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all pediatric patients at our institution diagnosed with a penile cyst according to our office database between 1992 and 2010. Charts were reviewed to determine patient demographics, symptomatology, pathology, cyst characteristics and treatment.Results: We identified 18 patients during the last 18 years who were diagnosed with a parameatal cyst. Most patients (66%) were asymptomatic. All cysts were less than 1 cm in diameter. Of the patients 50% were circumcised before presentation and 78% underwent surgical excision. There have been no recurrences in patients who underwent excision. One patient had spontaneous resolution of the cyst during the first few weeks of life. Pathology results were available for 6 patients. Three specimens contained a single type of epithel...
Effects of Microwave/Convection Baking and Pan Characteristics on Cake Quality

The quality of devil's food cake baked in a microwave/convection oven using different oven conditions and pan characteristics was assessed by sensory and objective methods. The most important factors were the number of layers baked at a given time and the baking pan characteristics, followed by initial oven temperatures. Crust color, moistness and cake symmetry were affected by these conditions. For example, single layers received a lower sensory score and had sticky and less red crusts than double layers. Cakes baked in glass-polyester microware pans were peaked, whereas those baked in aluminum pans were flat. Although slight differences in quality were found by both sensory and objective evaluations, all cakes were acceptable.
Effect of diamide on growth of selected bacteria.

Abstract Selected species of Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, Enterobacter, Escherichia, Streptococcus, and Lactobacillus were tested for growth in trypticase soy broth, trypticase soy agar, plate count agar, and violet red bile agar containing .025 or .05% diamide (diazenedicarboxylic acid bisdimethylamide). None of the resulting media was suitable for selectively determining species of Pseudomonas and Alcaligenes, but adding .05% diamide to trypticase soy agar or violet red bile agar apparently made both suitable for determining Pseudomonas fluorescens.
Cultural Context of Career Choice: Meta-Analysis of Race/Ethnicity Differences.

The authors focus on career counseling from a cultural perspective, using the proxy construct of race/ethnicity. They briefly describe traditional career counseling and critique the degree to which the myriad cultural contexts that shape clients' career development are incorporated into vocational theories and practice. They conducted a meta-analysis of research that has investigated the relationship between culture and vocational choice variables and concluded (a) that race/ethnicity differences do not greatly affect career aspirations but (b) that there are differences among racial/ethnic groups in perceptions of career-related opportunities and barriers.
Sites of emetic action of sodium salicylate in the cat.

Abstract Intravenous infusion of sodium salicylate at the rate of 20 mg/min until vomiting occurred was used to determine the threshold emetic dose in 45 cats. The ED50 was 275 mg/kg, and the mean with 95% confidence limits was 293 (260–327) mg/kg. The threshold values obtained by this procedure were relatively stable over time if infusions were spaced at least 10 days apart to avoid salicylate accumulation. Supradiaphragmatic vagotomy raised the mean emetic threshold of 8 cats from 314 mg/kg before surgery to over 575 mg/kg, while ablation of the medullary emetic chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) raised the mean threshold in 4 cats from 277 mg/kg before surgery to over 790 mg/kg. Increased thresholds after CTZ ablation were also found using spaced rapid iv injections. Lateral cerebral ventricular injection of sodium salicylate eleicited vomiting in 5 of 19 cats while fourth ventricular injection caused vomiting in 1 of 7 cats. All but 1 of these sensitive cats responded on 2–5 separate occasions. It is concluded that salicylates can induce emesis by stimulation of receptors which are accessible from the cerebrospinal fluid (probably in the CTZ) and that simultaneous afferent input to the vomiting center from both these central receptors and from peripheral receptors is necessary for a normal emetic threshold to sodium salicylate administered iv.
SUMMARY OF THE WORKSHIP ON SS 433

Papers presented at the Tenth Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics concerning SS 433 are summarized and the current status of the unique moving-emission-line object is reviewed. Radial velocity observations taken from June 1978 to December 1980 are shown to fit a simple five-parameter kinematic model with a best-fit period of 163.65 days, however large deviations from the model are found taking up extended periods of time. Evidence of variable optical polarization amplitudes is discussed which apparently exhibits a 164-day phase dependence, and the implications of radio observations which show a time-variable radio structure for the twin-jet model and for the understanding of source parameters are pointed out. Finally, an assessment is presented of successes and remaining problems in the understanding of the mechanisms of SS 433.
The Photically Evoked Afterdischarge: A Model for the Study of Drugs Useful in the Treatment of Petit Mai Epilepsy

Summary Lightly restrained albino rats were administered dipropylacetic acid, trimethadione, diphenylhydantoin, saline, and a pentylenetetrazol challenge. The results were attributed to the locus of action of the anticonvulsants and strongly support the usefulness of the photically evoked afterdischarge as a model for the evaluation of thalamically active drugs, with particular reference to those useful in the control of petit mal epilepsy. RESUME Chez des rats albinos, on a administre de l'acide dipropylacetique, de la trimethadione, de la diphenylhydantoine, une solution saline, et du pentylenetetrazol. Les resultats ont ete consideres en fonction du lieu d'action des anticonvulsivants et indiquent d'une facon tres evidente que la postdecharge par stimulation lumineuse est un modele utile pour juger de l'efficacite de substances qui agissent au niveau thalamique et en particulier de celles utiles dans le traitement de l'epilepsie de type petit mal. RESUMEN A varias ratas albinas se administraron acido dipropilacetico, trimetadiona, difenilhidantoina, suero salino y una prueba de pentilentetrazol. Los resultados se atribuyeron al lugar de accion de los anticonvulsivantes y confirman el valor de la utilizacion de los potenciales post-descarga, foticamente evocados, como modelo para la evaluacion de drogas talamicamente activas y, en especial, las que se consideran utiles en el tratamiento de la epilepsia petit mal. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Albinoratten erhielten Dipropylacetat, Trimethadion, Diphenylhydantoin, Salzlosung und einen Pentylentetrazolreiz. Die Ergebnisse wurden dem Wirkungsort der Antikonvulsiva zugeordnet und unterstutzen wesentlich die Nutzlichkeit der durch Fotostimulation evozierten Nachentladungen als Modell fur die Bewertung thalamisch aktiver Medikamente, speziell solcher die in der Kontrolle der Petit-Mal-Epilepsie von Nutzen sind.
The Development of Face Perception in Infancy: Intersensory Interference and Unimodal Visual Facilitation.

Although research has demonstrated impressive face perception skills of young infants, little attention has focused on conditions that enhance versus impair infant face perception. The present studies tested the prediction, generated from the intersensory redundancy hypothesis (IRH), that face discrimination, which relies on detection of visual featural information, would be impaired in the context of intersensory redundancy provided by audiovisual speech and enhanced in the absence of intersensory redundancy (unimodal visual and asynchronous audiovisual speech) in early development. Later in development, following improvements in attention, faces should be discriminated in both redundant audiovisual and nonredundant stimulation. Results supported these predictions. Two-month-old infants discriminated a novel face in unimodal visual and asynchronous audiovisual speech but not in synchronous audiovisual speech. By 3 months, face discrimination was evident even during synchronous audiovisual speech. These findings indicate that infant face perception is enhanced and emerges developmentally earlier following unimodal visual than synchronous audiovisual exposure and that intersensory redundancy generated by naturalistic audiovisual speech can interfere with face processing.
The COMMONS GAME: its instructional value when used in a natural resources management context

The COMMONS GAME was used in combination with lectures and discussion sessions to teach 19 university students the complexities and frustrations of managing commons property natural resources. On completion of the course, data from students' opinions of instruction, observations made during a postlecture/postgame analysis session, and a content analysis of students' essays were used to describe the extent to which the game provided a valuable instructional experience. The results provide evidence that the COMMONS GAME is a valuable teaching tool when used in a natural resources management context if special instructional considerations, designed to reinforce resource management concepts and techniques, are adequately addressed.
Optimization of a class of nonholonomic dynamic systems

We design a nonlinear control law for nonholonomic dynamic systems using the Hamilton-Jacobi theory. The novelty of the reported results lies in the fact that nonquadratic performance costs and return functions are used. By applying necessary and sufficient conditions for optimality, a nonlinear control law in the closed form is designed and optimality is verified. The solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation is found. The application of the explored procedure is discussed, and a familiar example is studied.
Coercion or Caregiving? Client and Caregivers’ Perspectives on Court Mandated Disulfiram Use

The past decade of legal action in this country has reflected an increased concern by members of both the legal and mental health professions for those individuals caught in the interface between the legal and mental health systems (Wyatt v. Stickney, 1972; Wexler, 1975). As might be expected, the concern for the civil rights of these individuals has been unevenly distributed with some areas, e.g., the rights of the mentally ill in the commitment process, receiving considerable attention and other areas being almost entirely neglected. The focus of the present paper is on one of these neglected areas, the practice of including disulfiram (Antabuse) as part of a client’s probation for a legal system offense that is related to alcohol use and abuse.
Development of Leisure Farms in Taiwan, and Perceptions of Visitors Thereto

Abstract In Taiwan the importance of agriculture is decreasing, compared to other industries. This change worsened in 2002 after Taiwan joined the World Trade Organization (WTO). Due to the increase in National Income and the implementation of the five-day workweek, the tourist population is growing. Beginning in 1989, the Council of Agriculture of Taiwan selected 31 rural areas in which to develop leisure farms for the purpose of creating and promoting agricultural tourism and to help sustain agriculture. This is intended to be achieved by utilizing their natural beauty, by promoting awareness of their ecology and by understanding their environmental resources. Agricultural tourism could generate income, create jobs and encourage retail growth. The purpose of this paper is: (1) to better understand the development of leisure farms in Taiwan, (2) to describe leisure farm visitors in terms of their demographic and socio-economic characteristics and knowledge about leisure farms, (3) to profile the leisure ...
RCSD1-ABL2 fusion resulting from a complex chromosomal rearrangement in high-risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common pediatric malignancy. While considered to be a largely curable disease, almost 15% of patients with ALL in the pediatric age group are at a hig...
Location effects of social partner on experimental foraging in the squirrel monkey.

The effect of social context on experimental foraging in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) was investigated. The 12 subjects comprised six pairs in which strong social preference and attraction had been demonstrated during observations of a stable group. Individuals were first trained to discriminate spatially separated rich and poor foraging bins containing 75% and 25% of the food items, respectively, with their partners restrained equidistant from the two bins. The monkeys invested an average of 75.5% of their foraging time in the rich bin. Each individual was then tested with its partner restrained in different locations relative to the bins to determine the effect of partner proximity on foraging patterns. Foraging efficiency at the start of a session was enhanced when the partner was restrained adjacent to the rich bin compared to restraint away from this bin. Over an entire foraging session, however, all conditions providing partner accessibility were similar in yielding enhanced foraging efficiency compared to partner absence. Little time was spent in close physical proximity to the partner under any condition. It is suggested that accessibility of the social partner, rather than close physical proximity, has an important influence on the foraging squirrel monkey. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Blood-Brain Barrier: Techniques for the Intracerebral Administration of Drugs

The greatest concern of the psychopharmacologist whose wish is to elucidate the properties of a given compound is its mode of action when administered by the systemic route. The basis for this is elementary. A drug that is prescribed to a patient ordinarily is taken orally or parenterally. For this reason, the vast majority of the research done on compounds that affect the central nervous system has utilized one or more of the systemic methods of administration. This having been said, there are five reasons why the logistics of this approach is not entirely coherent from a purely experimental—not clinical—standpoint.
Not Ready for Powerpoint? Rediscovering an Easier Tool

This article offers advice on using familiar word processing applications (and all their features) to project text and basic graphics during class or other presentations. Suggestions are included for written material prepared before class, modified during class, or created during class. The end results are presentations that are much more flexible and sophisticated than those created using PowerPoint and similar presentation software.
Picosecond Studies of Excited State Proton Transfer Reactions: The Laser pH Jump

In terms of both the chemical insight gained and the predictive power provided, the concept of acids and bases must surely be one of the most general in all of chemistry. For Bronsted [1] acids and bases in protic solvents, acid-base chemistry becomes the chemistry of the proton. Since it is a naked charge bereft of any electron cloud, the proton has an ionic size of ∿10-6nm, while all other cations are of the order of 0.1 nm or larger. Thus the proton is very reactive, since it can closely approach and highly polarize molecules and chemical bonds. While a detailed understanding of the mechanisms and kinetics of proton transfer reactions is a prerequisite for thoroughly explaining acid-base chemistry, the exceedingly rapid rates typical of these reactions has made them difficult to study using conventional techniques. Picosecond laser spectroscopy [2,3] provides a general method for the study of these rapid reactions.
Hypothalamic and gastric myoelectrical responses during vection-induced nausea in healthy Chinese subjects

The physiology of nausea, a uniquely human symptom, is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to measure the temporal sequences of neurohormonal responses and gastric myoelectrical activi...
Über die Holztrocknung mit Mikrowellen

Holz kann in einem hochfrequenten, elektrischen Wechselfeld erwarmt und getrocknet werden. Die Erwarmung je Leistungseinheit ist mit Mikrowellen starker als mit Radiofrequenzenergie, da die Energiedichte mit der Frequenz wachst. Da auch dunne Materialschichten leicht zu behandeln sind und der Wirkungsgrad der Mikrowellenrohren verhaltnismasig hoch ist, hat man in den letzten Jahren Trocknungssysteme mit 2450 MHz- und 915 MHz-Wellen versuchsweise auch an Holz und Papier verwendet.
Fibers for System-on-Fiber Applications

This paper reports ultrafast laser direct writing of optical components in multi-core rectangular shape fibers for sensing and fiber laser applications. We will discuss efforts to turn optical fibers from one-dimensional devices to three-dimensional devices.
Micro fluorescence in situ hybridization (μFISH) for spatially multiplexed analysis of a cell monolayer

We here present a micrometer-scale implementation of fluorescence in situ hybridization that we term μFISH. This μFISH implementation makes use of a non-contact scanning probe technology, namely, a microfluidic probe (MFP) that hydrodynamically shapes nanoliter volumes of liquid on a surface with micrometer resolution. By confining FISH probes at the tip of this microfabricated scanning probe, we locally exposed approximately 1000 selected MCF-7 cells of a monolayer to perform incubation of probes - the rate-limiting step in conventional FISH. This method is compatible with the standard workflow of conventional FISH, allows re-budgeting of the sample for various tests, and results in a ~ 15-fold reduction in probe consumption. The continuous flow of probes and shaping liquid on these selected cells resulted in a 120-fold reduction of the hybridization time compared with the standard protocol (3 min vs. 6 h) and efficient rinsing, thereby shortening the total FISH assay time for centromeric probes. We further demonstrated spatially multiplexed μFISH, enabling the use of spectrally equivalent probes for detailed and real-time analysis of a cell monolayer, which paves the way towards rapid and automated multiplexed FISH on standard cytological supports.
Curative Effect of Lengthening and Forward of Achilles Tendon on Treating Spastic Equinus of Children with Cerebral Palsy

Objective To evaluate curative effect of lengthening and forward of achilles tendon on treating spastic equinus of children with cerebral palsy. Methods Fifty-three patients(85 feet) with spastic equinus caused by cerebral palsy in children,including 28 male(45 feet)and 25 female(40 feet),were treated with lengthening and forward of achilles tendon from May 1998 to Jun.2011.The ages of the patients ranged from 2.5 to 14.0 years.According to the Ashworth method for the evaluation of spasticity:12 feet belonged to level 3,38 feet level 4,and 35 feet level 5.All patients were able to walk,had normal intelligence and muscle strength of lower limbs,varying degrees of muscle tension,tendon reflexes hyperfunction,ankle clonus and Babinski sign positive,had not significant bone deformity in X-ray film;5 cases of double hip adduction deformity and 2 cases of double knee flexion deformity were operated in the preoperative or simultaneous. Results All patients were available for an average duration of follow-up of 2.3 years(ranged 0.5-11.2 years).One patient with incision dehiscence and rupture of achilles tendon after 2 weeks had good recovery after treatment.Muscle strength of triceps surae was not weakened in all the patients after operation compared preoperatively.Fifty-three patients(85 feet) were satisfied with the effect,55 feet were assessed as good,30 feet as fair,the rate of good and fair was 100%. Conclusions The operation of lengthening and forward of achilles that the end of achilles tendon is moved forward to trailing edge of talocalcaneal joint on the basis of the achilles tendon extended is based on the biomechanical principles,which helps shortens the lever arm of achilles tendon to the ankle,and balances the muscle strength of extension and flexion of ankle.Its long term effect is good and it is a better approach to spastic equinus in children.
The Concept of Construction of Collecting Taxes for Social Securities in China

In recent years,great progress has made in the reform of social securities system and the system meeting the demand of market economy has been established,in the process,the way of raising fund for social securities has changed fundamentally,but current situation can't meet demand for social securities development,how to improve securities system is an important issue facing China.
Revisiting LEGOs: Optimizations, Analysis, and their Limit.

The Cut-and-choose paradigm gives by far the most popular and efficient secure two-party computation protocols in the standard malicious model, able to offer s bits of security with only s copies of garbled circuits in the one-time execution scenario [33]. Nielsen, Orlandi et al. [48,13] have even proposed the seminal idea of LEGO-style cut-and-choose to further reduce the number of circuit copies to less than s while still keep constant round complexity. However, a substantial gap still exists between the theoretical idea of LEGO cut-and-choose and a practical implementation, e.g., [48] is not compatible with free-XOR and uses expensive asymmetric key operations for soldering, while [13] leaves the important building-block of soldering unspecified. In this work, we introduce XOR-Homomorphic Interactive Hash and propose an efficient implementation of this primitive by combining Reed-Solomon encoding and k-out-of-n oblivious transfers. We show how to apply this primitive to solve the performance-critical wire-soldering problem and propose a new LEGO-style cut-and-choose protocol. Comparing to previous LEGO-style protocols, ours only requires a single (as opposed to “a majority of”) correctly garbled gate in each bucket to guarantee security against malicious adversaries. Plus, through integrating Half-Gates garbling, we double the chance a “bad” gate being detected in the check stage (compared to MiniLEGO [13]). Our construction is more bandwidth-efficient than Lindell (CRYPTO, 2013) [33] either when the circuit size N is sufficiently large, or when N is larger than a threshold solely determined by the ratio between the input and circuit sizes. E.g., we use less bandwidth for computing most linear and sub-linear functions. Deploying a LEGO-style cut-and-choose protocol involves convoluted protocol parameter selection. To this end, we give a thorough analysis of the relations among all protocol parameters and propose efficient algorithms that automate the search for the optimal parameter configuration based on a requirement specification (i.e., the security parameters s, k and application parameter N) with provable accuracy. Last, we formally prove a tight bound on the benefit of LEGO-style secure computation protocols, in the sense that the circuit duplication factor κ has to be larger than 2 and any κ > 2 is indeed achievable. This corrects a common mistake of claiming LEGO cut-and-choose can reduce κ to O(sk/ logN) since 2 6∈ O(sk/ logN).
QUANTUM ANDY: andy kaufman and the postmodern turn in comedy

In this essay I attempt to unpack Andy Kaufman in his many manifestations, ultimately arguing that traditional notions of comedy cannot help us get at the root of what is going on here. Through a discussion and criticism of the theories of comedy presented by Christopher Fry, Susanne Langer, Walter Kerr, and Maurice Charney, I suggest how Andy's comedy employs a rejection of the modernist conceits of a fixed identity, a denotative language, a progressive history, and a separation of temporality from Being. Ultimately focusing on the way in which Freud's theory of comedy gets deconstructed when we read it through the lens of Andy’s work, I take apart specific jokes and comedic “moments” in Andy's work and show how the Freudian framework cannot support such an aesthetic. What is, in fact, most challenging in Andy's work as a comedian is not merely the way in which his own identity is up for grabs but the way in which he forces the audience to have its identity as an audience called into question, th...
Swallowing and Oropharyngeal Disorders

Swallowing and oropharyngeal disorders have become increasingly recognized in recent years as more premature infants and medically complex children are living longer and presenting to medical attention. These conditions present in a wide variety of ways and can result from a combination of developmental, neurologic, and anatomic issues, each of which requires an individualized approach to treatment. Therapeutic options include thickening of feeds, feeding therapy, gastrostomy tubes, fundoplication, and pharmacologic approaches. Treatment of swallow dysfunction requires experts skilled in the evaluation and management of the myriad causes of aspiration. The care for these children must therefore take place in a multidisciplinary setting in order to best serve their needs.
Integrating popular education into a model of empowerment planning

This research introduces popular education into a neighborhood planning process in a low-income community in Charlotte, NC. Residents and members of a community–university partnership participated ...
Estimating the Cost of Care for Emergency Department Syncope Patients: Comparison of Three Models.

Introduction: We sought to compare three hospital cost estimation models for patients undergoing evaluation for unexplained syncope with hospital cost data. Developing such a model would allow researchers to assess the value of novel clinical algorithms for syncope management. Methods: Complete health services data, including disposition, testing, and length of stay (LOS), were collected on 67 adult patients (age 60 years and older) who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with syncope at a single hospital. Patients were excluded if a serious medical condition was identified. Three hospital cost estimation models were created to estimate facility costs: V1, unadjusted Medicare payments for observation and/or hospital admission, V2: modified Medicare payment, prorated by LOS in calendar days, and, V3: modified Medicare payment, prorated by LOS in hours. Total hospital costs included unadjusted Medicare payments for diagnostic testing and estimated facility costs. These estimates were plotted against actual cost data from the hospital finance department. Correlation and regression analyses were performed. Results: Of the three models, V3 consistently outperformed the others with regard to correlation and goodness of fit. The Pearson correlation coefficient for V3 was 0.88 (95% Confidence Interval 0.81, 0.92) with an R-square value of 0.77 and a linear regression coefficient of 0.87 (95% Confidence Interval 0.76, 0.99). Conclusion: Using basic health services data, it is possible to accurately estimate hospital costs for older adults undergoing a hospital-based evaluation for unexplained syncope. This methodology could help assess the potential economic impact of implementing novel clinical algorithms for ED syncope.
Abstract 109: Role of ApoAIV in ApoB Lipoprotein Assembly and Triglyceride Transport

Apolipoprotein A-IV (apoAIV) is a lipid binding protein expressed primarily in mammalian intestine and also in rodent liver. While in vitro studies have suggested a role of apoAIV in lipoprotein fo...
Parathyroid Hormone and Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein Analogs in Osteoporosis Therapy

The purpose is to review the efficacy and optimal use of parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-related protein analogs in osteoporosis treatment. The parathyroid hormone analog teriparatide, a potent stimulator of bone remodeling, increases hip and spine bone mineral density and reduces the risk of vertebral and non-vertebral fractures in postmenopausal osteoporotic women. The parathyroid hormone-related protein analog, abaloparatide, also reduces fracture incidence but has pharmacological effects that differ from teriparatide, particularly in cortical bone. These analogs provide maximal benefit when their use is followed by a potent antiresorptive medication. Moreover, studies have shown that the combination of teriparatide and the RANK-ligand inhibitor, denosumab, increase bone density and estimated strength more than monotherapy and more than any currently available regimen. Parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-related protein analogs, whether as monotherapy, in combination with antiresorptive agents or in sequence with antiresorptive agents, will likely play an expanding role in osteoporosis management.
Adoption of e-Books: A Digital Textbook Perspective

Whereas the rise of e-book use has undermined printed books, it is somewhat surprising that students still prefer printed books for intensive reading and would rather use e-contents just for fun. This calls for a holistic study that investigates what facilitates or hinders e-book use in the digital era. Drawing upon UTAUT and cognitive judgmental processes, a research framework was tested with 1,419 university students. Further, the responses were split into those students with digital textbook exposure and those without it to examine their differing mental schemas. Results confirm that performance expectancy is the primary factor in the digital textbook adoption. Effort expectancy and facilitating conditions are significant to the experienced, but not to the non-experienced. The experienced do not see result demonstrability and output quality as variables that influence usefulness, while the other group perceives them to be critical. Theoretical and practical implications of this research are als...
Our lives matter: a womanist queer theology

Pamela Lightsey’s Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology is an attempt to provide an accessible reflection on key theological issues for queer black women. Bringing together a womanist methodo...
Jejunal Diverticular Perforation Causing Small Bowel Obstruction in a Type 4 Hiatal Hernia: A Rare Case Report of a Nonagenarian Patient and Review of Relevant Literature

Type IV paraesophageal hernia (PEH) is very rare and is characterized by the intrathoracic herniation of the abdominal viscera other than the stomach into the chest. We describe a case of a 90-year-old male patient who presented at our emergency department complaining of epigastric pain that he had experienced over the past few hours and getting progressively worse. On the day after admission, his pain became severe. Chest radiography revealed an intrathoracic intestinal gas bubble; emergency exploratory laparotomy identified a type IV PEH with herniation of only the jejunum with perforated diverticula on mesenteric side through a hiatal defect into mediastinum. There are a few published cases of small bowel herniation into the thoracic cavity in the literature. Our patient represents a rare case of an individual diagnosed with type IV PEH with herniation of jejunum with perforated diverticula.
IRON AND MANGANESE FRACTIONATION IN CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS RECEIVING ACID MINE DRAINAGE

ABSTRACT Soil samples from both operational constructed wetlands and experimental research systems receiving acid mine drainage (AMD) in Alabama, USA were collected to identify and quantify the Fe and Mn forms present at two depths: 0–5 and 5–10 cm. The samples were sequentially extracted to determine exchangeable, organically bound, oxide, and residual Fe and Mn fractions. Most of the removed metal was deposited in the 0–5 cm depth. Total Fe concentrations were 5 to 30 times greater in the upper 0–5 cm compared with the 5–15 cm depth. Total Mn concentrations were 2 to 10 times greater in the 0–5 cm depth. Iron was preferentially removed and concentrated over Mn in these systems, with Fe concentrations being one to two orders of magnitude greater than Mn. Eighty percent or more of the Fe was in an oxide form implicating biological or chemical oxidation processes. Goethite was the dominant crystalline oxide form.
Sliding mode control of a single phase transformer-less PV inverter with active power decoupling

This paper proposes a fixed frequency based sliding mode (SM) controller for transformer-less single phase inverter for photovoltaic (PV) application with active power decoupling minimizing the capacitance requirement. Unlike conventional power decoupling techniques in full bridge converters, the proposed technique incorporates a large sinusoidal swing of the half-bridge capacitor voltages and a limited ripple on the DC-link to address the power decoupling. This invokes coupling and complexity in the system making the control of the converter a challenging task. SM control technique is used to provide a robust and stable controller platform for this converter. Extensive simulation results are provided for verification of the SM controller performance and to support the mathematical formulation of the fixed frequency based non-linear sliding mode control for this converter in standalone operation mode.
PD-L1 checkpoint inhibition and anti-CTLA-4 whole tumor cell vaccination counter adaptive immune resistance: A mouse neuroblastoma model that mimics human disease.

Background Adaptive immune resistance induces an immunosuppressive tumor environment that enables immune evasion. This phenomenon results in tumor escape with progression and metastasis. Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expressed on tumors is thought to inhibit tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) through programmed cell death 1 (PD1), enabling adaptive immune resistance. This study investigates the role of PD-L1 in both mouse and human neuroblastoma immunity. The consequence of PD-L1 inhibition is characterized in the context of an established whole tumor cell vaccine. Methods and findings A mouse model of neuroblastoma was investigated using an Id2 knockdown whole cell vaccine in combination with checkpoint inhibition. We show that immunogenic mouse neuroblastoma acquires adaptive immune resistance by up-regulating PD-L1 expression, whereas PD-L1 is of lesser consequence in nonimmunogenic neuroblastoma tumors. Combining PD-L1 checkpoint inhibition with whole tumor cell/anti-CTLA-4 vaccination enhanced tumor cell killing, cured mice with established tumors, and induced long-term immune memory (6 months). From an evaluation of patient neuroblastoma tumors, we found that the inflammatory environment of the mouse neuroblastoma mimicked human disease in which PD-L1 expression was associated directly with TILs and lower-risk tumors. High-risk patient tumors were lacking both TILs and PD-L1 expression. Although a correlation in immunity seems to exist between the mouse model and human findings, the mouse tumor model is induced and not spontaneously occurring, and furthermore, the number of both mouse and human correlates is limited. Conclusions This study demonstrates the role PD-L1 plays in neuroblastoma’s resistance to immunity and defines the nonredundant effect of combination checkpoint inhibition with vaccine therapy in a mouse model. High-risk, nonimmunogenic human tumors display both diminished PD-L1 expression and adaptive immune resistance. Paradoxically, high-risk tumors may be more responsive to effective vaccine therapy because of their apparent lack of adaptive immune resistance.
Indirect photopatterning of functionalized organic monolayers via copper-catalyzed “click chemistry”

Abstract Solution-based lithographic surface modification of an organic monolayer on a solid substrate is attained based on selective area photo-reduction of copper (II) to copper (I) to catalyze the azide-alkyne dipolar cycloaddition “click” reaction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is used to confirm patterning, and spectroscopic results are analyzed and supplemented with computational models to confirm the surface chemistry. It is determined that this surface modification approach requires irradiation of the solid substrate with all necessary components present in solution. This method requires only minutes of irradiation to result in spatial and temporal control of the covalent surface functionalization of a monolayer and offers the potential for wavelength tunability that may be desirable in many applications utilizing organic monolayers.
In pursuit of photo-induced magnetic and chiral microscopy

Light-matter interactions enable the perception of specimen properties such as its shape and dimensions by measuring the subtle differences carried by an illuminating beam after interacting with the sample. However, major obstacles arise when the relevant properties of the specimen are weakly coupled to the incident beam, for example when measuring optical magnetism and chirality. To address this challenge we propose the idea of detecting such weakly-coupled properties of matter through the photo-induced force, aiming at developing photo-induced magnetic or chiral force microscopy. Here we review our pursuit consisting of the following steps: (1) Development of a theoretical blueprint of a magnetic nanoprobe to detect a magnetic dipole oscillating at an optical frequency when illuminated by an azimuthally polarized beam via the photo-induced magnetic force; (2) Conducting an experimental study using an azimuthally polarized beam to probe the near fields and axial magnetism of a Si disk magnetic nanoprobe, based on photo-induced force microscopy; (3) Extending the concept of force microscopy to probe chirality at the nanoscale, enabling enantiomeric detection of chiral molecules. Finally, we discuss difficulties and how they could be overcome, as well as our plans for future work.
FUEL CELLS – PROTON-EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELLS | Cells

A proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) unit cell consists of a proton exchange membrane, anode and cathode catalyst layers, gas diffusion layers, sealing elements, and flow fields. In this article, the operational principles of a PEMFC unit cell are discussed with respect to the basic functions and desirable qualities of these individual cell components. The current–voltage (polarization or performance) curve of a unit cell is analyzed with respect to losses from kinetic, thermodynamic, ohmic, concentration, short-circuit, and crossover polarizations. A brief overview of basic diagnostic tools and visualization techniques currently in practice for evaluation and characterization of a PEMFC unit cell is presented. The aspect of cell design is presented with respect to its end applications. The evolution of PEMFC performance is presented along with the developmental challenges that fuel cell component designers currently face toward commercializing this technology, including material selection, cost, and performance optimization. Finally, current approaches toward large-scale manufacturing of cell components and their assembly to functional unit cells are discussed.
Separated Cell Types as Analytical Tools in the Study of Decidualization and Implantation

Various strategies used by different species to assure successful blastocyst-endometrial interaction have evolved. The advantages and limitations of the decidual cell reaction (DCR) as a model for studying these events have been recognized (Psychoyos, 1973; Glasser and Clark, 1975; Glasser and McCormack, 1980a,c). Concise descriptions of the sequential relationships of the steroid hormones (Psychoyos, 1973; Glasser and Clark, 1975) and the different hormonal responses of epithelial and stromal cells have been provided (Martin and Finn, 1968; Tachi et al., 1972; Martin et al., 1973a,b). These researches have validated the determinant role of progesterone in the development of uterine sensitivity. Certain species require estrogen to complete the maturation of the sensitive uterus to the final stages of uterine receptivity for ovum implantation. Detailed cytological, ultrastructural (Nilsson, 1970; Enders and Schlafke, 1971; Schlafke and Enders, 1975; Sherman and Wudl, 1976), and physiological correlates (Meyers, 1970; Psychoyos, 1973; Glasser and Clark, 1975; Glasser and McCormack, 1979) of these events are also part of the literature.
Learning Social Relations from Videos: Features, Models, and Analytics

Despite the progress made during recent years in video understanding, extracting relations among actors in a video is still a largely unexplored area. In this chapter, we review one of the ?rst studies towards learning such relations from videos using visual and auditory cues. The main contribution can be stated as the association of low-level video features to social relations by machine learning methodology. Specifically, support vector regression is leveraged to estimate local grouping cues from low-level visual and auditory features. These locally defined grouping cues are then synthesized to derive the affinity between actors. Finally, the social network defined by the resulting affinity is analyzed to ?nd communities of actors and identify the leader of each community. Furthermore, as an extension to the basic framework, we discuss the relationship between visual concepts and social relations. We demonstrate the performance of these approaches on a set of videos.
Effectiveness of Word Embeddings on Classifiers: A Case Study with Tweets

Twitter is a popular micro-blogging platform that offers a rich source of real-time information about real-world events, particularly during mass emergencies/crises. During any crisis, it is necessary to filter through a huge amount of tweets within a short span of time to extract crisis related information. Different machine learning (ML) algorithms have been used to classify crisis related tweets from non crisis-related ones, and thus play a significant role in building an application for emergency management. With the proliferation of data, it becomes unmanageable to process the growing stream of information. So this paper focuses on (1) different Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to make tweets suitable for applying ML algorithms, (2) Different word-embeddings to create a more domain specific semantic space and address dimension reduction for efficiently analyzing tweets, (3) comparative analysis of different state-of-the-art ML algorithms (classifiers) which can be applied to categorize crisis-related tweets with a higher accuracy. The experiments have been done on six different crisis related datasets, each approximately consisting of 10,000 tweets. With our analysis, it is shown that Neural Networks have outperformed all other classifiers like Naive Bayes, Logistic Regression, and Support Vector Machines. Moreover, it is seen that if word-embedding models are trained with more domain specific data, they can even outperform the pre-trained models.
Fate and transport of estrogenic compounds in an integrated swine manure treatment systems combining algal-bacterial bioreactor and hydrothermal processes for improved water quality.

An integrated manure treatment system, including a mixed algal-bacterial bioreactor (MABB) and hydrothermal processing of biomass solids, was found to remove 76.4–97.0% of the total estrogenic hormones (estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3)) from the liquid portion of animal manure (LPAM). The mixed biomass was converted into either biocrude oil with a yield up to 40% via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) or syngas with a yield up to 54% yield via catalytic hydrothermal gasification (CHG). Adding granular activated carbon (GAC) in the MABB enhanced the removal of estrogenic hormones (+ 7.2%), cytotoxicity (+ 58%), and heavy metals (+ 10.5%). After the integrated system with the MABB, HTL, and CHG processes, the overall percent removal of heavy metals from the LPAM ranged from 27.1 to 40.3%. The concentrations of potentially toxic heavy metals (lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr)) in the aqueous phase after HTL and CHG tests ranged from 0.01 to 25.3 mg/L.
New Allene Equivalents for the Diels‐Alder Reaction: Vinyl Sulfoxide Cycloadditions.

Phenyl vinyl sulfoxide (I) reacts with excess cyclopentadiene (II) in benzene to produce the isomeric sulfoxides (III).
Artificial intelligence and augmented reality in gynecology.

Purpose of review Artificial intelligence and augmented reality have been progressively incorporated into our daily life. Technological advancements have resulted in the permeation of similar systems into medical practice. Recent findings Both artificial intelligence and augmented reality are being increasingly incorporated into the practice of modern medicine to optimize decision making and ultimately improve patient outcomes. Summary Artificial intelligence has already been incorporated into many areas of medical practice but has been slow to catch on in clinical gynecology. However, several applications of augmented reality are currently in use in gynecologic surgery. We present an overview of artificial intelligence and augmented reality and current use in medical practice with a focus on gynecology.
L1 vs L2 synchronous text-based interaction in computer-mediated L2 writing

Abstract This study investigates the quality of the L2 written outcome and the interactions produced in synchronous text-based L1 and L2 collaboration. On the one hand, it explores fluency, accuracy, and complexity measures in order to compare participants’ L2 performance in a task-based writing assignment using Google Docs. On the other hand, it examines the areas of negotiation in their L1 and L2 synchronous interactions in order to assess possible differences. Eighty-five intermediate students of Spanish were randomly assigned to four different dyadic writing groups: a control group, a collaborative L1 text-based chat group, a collaborative L2 text-based chat group, and a group of dyads who collaborated on Google Docs but were not permitted to chat. ANOVA analyses of the L2 writing measures under scrutiny showed that the dyads that collaborated in their L1 had a significant advantage in the accuracy measure utilized. Additionally, analyses of the interactions produced by the dyads in both chat groups showed that the L1 chat group conversed more but focused less on the L2. These results are discussed in relation to the relevant previous literature and should continue the discussion on translanguaging and how L1 can be of use in L2 writing.
Posttraumatic stress disorder and changes in diet quality over 20 years among US women.

Background Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at increased risk of various chronic diseases. One hypothesized pathway is via changes in diet quality. This study evaluated whether PTSD was associated with deterioration in diet quality over time. Methods Data were from 51 965 women in the Nurses' Health Study II PTSD sub-study followed over 20 years. Diet, assessed at 4-year intervals, was characterized via the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI). Based on information from the Brief Trauma Questionnaire and Short Screening Scale for DSM-IV PTSD, trauma/PTSD status was classified as no trauma exposure, prevalent exposure (trauma/PTSD onset before study entry), or new-onset (trauma/PTSD onset during follow-up). We further categorized women with prevalent exposure as having trauma with no PTSD symptoms, trauma with low PTSD symptoms, and trauma with high PTSD symptoms, and created similar categories for women with new-onset exposure, resulting in seven comparison groups. Multivariable linear mixed-effects spline models tested differences in diet quality changes by trauma/PTSD status over follow-up. Results Overall, diet quality improved over time regardless of PTSD status. In age-adjusted models, compared to those with no trauma, women with prevalent high PTSD and women with new-onset high PTSD symptoms had 3.3% and 3.6% lower improvement in diet quality, respectively, during follow-up. Associations remained consistent after adjusting for health conditions, sociodemographics, and behavioral characteristics. Conclusions PTSD is associated with less healthy changes in overall diet quality over time. Poor diet quality may be one pathway linking PTSD with a higher risk of chronic disease development.