cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the scaling behavior of organic ferroelectric copolymer PVDF-TrFE for memory application

Abstract We report an interesting scaling trend in the switching time and the switching voltage of the organic ferroelectric copolymer PVDF-TrFE as a function of the device area. We have found that shrinking the lateral dimensions of the ferroelectric film results in a dramatic decrease in the switching time and the switching voltage. The phenomenological theory, that explains this abnormal scaling trend, involves in-plane interaction of the polymeric chains of the two-dimensional Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films of the copolymer PVDF-TrFE interchain and intrachain coupling results in a weak power-law dependence of the switching field on the device area ( E SW α A CH 0.1 ) which is ultimately responsible for the decrease in the switching time and switching voltage. For this scaling study we have used the organic ferroelectric copolymer as the top gate dielectric of a field-effect transistor structure with poly silicon nanowires as channel material. The gated channel area was varied by more than two orders of magnitude (0.04 –5 μm2) while the thickness of the ferroelectric copolymer film was kept constant at 100 nm. Our findings are believed to be of importance to both, the fundamental understanding of non-equilibrium processes in correlated condensed matter systems and the technological use of ferroelectric copolymers for non volatile memory applications.
Brief announcement: hardness of broadcasting in wireless networks with unreliable communication

We prove two broadcast lower bounds for a wireless network model that includes unreliable links. For deterministic algorithms, we show n − 1 rounds are required, where n is the number of processes. For randomized algorithms, e(n − 1) rounds are required for success probability e. In both cases, the bounds are proved for a network in which constant-time broadcast is possible.
Three-Dimensional Structure of the Bovine Sperm Connecting Piece Revealed by Electron Cryotomography

The sperm connecting piece is a complex structure that, from a mechanical perspective, appears to play a role in stabilizing the proximal part of the sperm tail. We report the three-dimensional structure of the intact bovine sperm connecting piece, revealing an intricate, asymmetrical architecture with the segmented columns held together by filamentous linkages. The columns fuse, at the proximal end, with each other into structures that form the centriolar vault, and at the distal end, with the outer dense fibers (ODFs). The grouping of the fibers into these structures is consistent with bending only in the plane of the head. Structures reminiscent of the proximal centriole were observed in the vault, while the association of a novel bar structure with ODFs 3 and 8 organizes the distal centriolar vault. It has been proposed that the elastic compliance of the connecting piece provides the underlying mechanism behind initiation of the sperm beat cycle and bend propagation. According to the basal sliding theory of sperm movement, distortion of the connecting piece may store energy that initiates a new beat. The intersegment linkers could serve as mechanosensitive elements that regulate alternation of the sperm tail's bending direction in the beat cycle in addition to providing structural stabilization for the connecting piece segmented structures. On the other hand, our video recordings of the bull sperm movement show little bending of the head with respect to the tail, so it appears that there may be normally little strain within the connecting piece.
Physical and chemical characteristics of ephemeral pond habitats in the Maracaibo basin and Llanos region of Venezuela

Physical and chemical variables of ephemeral rainwater pond habitats in the Maracaibo basin and Llanos region of Venezuela were investigated to assess environmental qefeatures important for future studies of the physiological ecology and bioenergetics of annual killifish. Dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, Eh, and conductivity measurements were made in the field at each collection site. Water and filter samples were collected and analyzed for trace metals, cations, anions, and osmolality. Physical and chemical characteristics of rainwater ponds are highly variable both temporally and spatially. Large diurnal fluctuations occur in temperature and dissolved oxygen. Dissolved oxygen content, temperature, pH and conductivity values exhibit a high degree of interpool variation. All pools sampled have a high amount of suspended solids consistent with high turbidity. Pool sediments appear to be anoxic as indicated by measurement of Eh. Llanos region pools are dominated by calcium as the major cation, while Maracaibo basin pools are dominated by sodium as the major cation. Maracaibo pools can be further separated into two distinct regions, inland savanna and coastal desert, based on ionic composition. Annual killifish inhabiting ephemeral ponds may be exposed to extremes in dissolved oxygen concentration, temperature and pH values during adult, juvenile, and embryonic stages.
Direct Measurement of the Relation Between Swelling Pressure and Interlayer Distance in Li-Vermiculite1

To test the double-layer theory of swelling as applied to layer silicates, the interlayer separation, λ, in a Li-saturated vermiculite from Grouse Creek, Utah, was measured as a function of the swelling pressure, II. An oriented sample of the vermiculite (46-105 μm) was placed in an environmental chamber mounted on an X-ray diffractometer and compressed between N2 gas and a porous membrane in contact with a solution draining to the outside atmosphere. After equilibration at each of several successively higher gas pressures, the c-axis spacing was measured by X-ray diffraction, and the corresponding X was calculated by subtracting the thickness of an elementary silicate layer. The results of these measurements showed that. (1) the relation between II and λ for vermiculite is the same as that previously observed for Na-montmorillonite, i.e., II is an exponential function of 1/λ. (2) the values of II predicted by double-layer theory are much smaller than those observed if the surface potential is assigned the appropriate value; an. (3) the observed relation between II and λ does not have the form predicted by this theory. On the basis of these results, a repulsive force not ascribable to double-layer overlap must be primarily responsible for swelling; this force must result from the in-depth perturbation of the water by the surfaces of the vermiculite layers.
Environmental influences on mountain gorilla time budgets

Data on the time budgets of mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei) were collected during field studies in the Virunga Volcanoes region of Rwanda and Zaire. Focal sampling was used to determine the proportion of time that individuals of different age/sex classes spent in several mutually exclusive activity states. The gorillas spent the majority of daylight hours feeding; most of the rest of the day was devoted to resting, with little time spent moving or engaged in social activity. The time budget varied among the different subhabitats used by the gorillas, and the gorillas satisfied subsistence needs more quickly when in areas where food was more abundant and/or of better nutritional quality. Silverbacks spent more time feeding than all other age/sex classes, but age/sex class differences were not great. All age/sex classes responded to variability in habitat quality in similar fashion. Unlike the case for many other primates, there was no significant seasonal variation in time budgets. There was a direct relationship between group size and time spent feeding, although variation in relation to group size was lower than that in relation to variation in habitat quality. These results are consistent with the relationship of feeding time to body size in primates. They are also consistent, with other evidence that social foraging entails a cost to gorilla females, but that this cost is low in comparison to those faced by many other primates. Permanent association with males apparently offers little ecological disadvantage to females, who are likely to be more than compensated by mutualistic benefits.
Enhanced Computational Methods for Nonlinear Hamiltonian Wave Dynamics. Part II: New Results

Abstract It has been noted that the nonlinear Hamiltonian dynamical equations describing surface waves are of convolution form in a version derived by Krasitskii, and thus they are amenable to numerical calculations using fast Fourier transform techniques. In this paper new results regarding the nature of the solutions are presented and numerical instabilities that may develop are discussed. Additionally various ways of displaying features of the nonlinear wave evolution are explored within the context of specific examples.
Hepatic and muscle glucose metabolism during total parenteral nutrition: impact of infection

We examined the impact of infection on hepatic and muscle glucose metabolism in dogs adapted to chronic total parenteral nutrition (TPN). Studies were done in five conscious chronically catheterize...
The social distraction of facial paralysis: Objective measurement of social attention using eye-tracking

Objectives To measure the attentional distraction to the facial paralysis deformity using eye-tracking, and to distinguish between attention paid to the upper and lower facial divisions in patients with complete paralysis. We hypothesized that features affected by the paralysis deformity would distract the casual observer, leading to an altered pattern of facial attention as compared to normals. Study Design Randomized controlled experiment. Methods Sixty casual observers viewed images of paralyzed faces (House-Brackmann [HB] IV–VI) and normal faces smiling and in repose. The SMI iView X RED (SensoMotoric, Inc., Boston, MA) eye-gaze tracker recorded eye movements of observers gazing on the faces. Fixation durations for predefined areas of interest were analyzed using three separate multivariate analyses. Results Casual observers gazing on both paralyzed and normal faces directed the majority of their attention to the central triangle (CT) region. Significant differences occurred in the distribution of attention among individual features in the CT and to individual sides of the face. Observers directed more attention to the mouth of paralyzed faces, smiling (analysis of variance [ANOVA] > F 0.0001) and in repose (ANOVA > F 0.0000). Attention was asymmetrically distributed between the two halves of paralyzed faces (paralyzed smiling minus normal smiling P > |z| 0.000). Conclusions Casual observers directed attention in a measurably different way when gazing on paralyzed faces as compared to normal faces, a finding exacerbated with smiling. These findings help explain society's perceptions of attractiveness and affect display that differ for paralyzed and normal faces and can be used to direct our reconstructive efforts. Level of Evidence N/A. Laryngoscope, 126:334–339, 2016
Tethered tertiary amines as solid-state n-type dopants for solution-processable organic semiconductors

A scarcity of stable n-type doping strategies compatible with facile processing has been a major impediment to the advancement of organic electronic devices. Localizing dopants near the cores of conductive molecules can lead to improved efficacy of doping. We and others recently showed the effectiveness of tethering dopants covalently to an electron-deficient aromatic molecule using trimethylammonium functionalization with hydroxide counterions linked to a perylene diimide core by alkyl spacers. In this work, we demonstrate that, contrary to previous hypotheses, the main driver responsible for the highly effective doping observed in thin films is the formation of tethered tertiary amine moieties during thin film processing. Furthermore, we demonstrate that tethered tertiary amine groups are powerful and general n-doping motifs for the successful generation of free electron carriers in the solid-state, not only when coupled to the perylene diimide molecular core, but also when linked with other small molecule systems including naphthalene diimide, diketopyrrolopyrrole, and fullerene derivatives. Our findings help expand a promising molecular design strategy for future enhancements of n-type organic electronic materials.
Transitions in Quantum Physical Systems—Cross Section

This is the fundamental chapter on scattering theory. Here the concept of transition probabilities is introduced and general formulas for the cross section are derived from the basic assumptions of quantum mechanics. In Section XIV.2, a general formula for the transition rate is obtained, which will be used in Section XIV.5 for the derivation of the cross-section formula and in Chapter XXI for the derivation of the decay rate. Section XIV.3 introduces the concept of cross section, and Section XIV.4 gives a brief description of the different ways to relate the cross section to fundamental physical observables. The main section of this chapter is Section XIV.5, where the cross-section formulas for very general physical situations are derived. At the end of section XIV.5 the physical state of the scattering system is further specified to obtain the well-known expressions for the cross section. For a superficial understanding of the material of this chapter one may omit parts of Section XIV.2 and Section XIV.5. For this purpose we have discussed special results of Section XIV.5 at the end of Section XIV.4.
Efficient Matrix Sensing Using Rank-1 Gaussian Measurements

In this paper, we study the problem of low-rank matrix sensing where the goal is to reconstruct a matrix exactly using a small number of linear measurements. Existing methods for the problem either rely on measurement operators such as random element-wise sampling which cannot recover arbitrary low-rank matrices or require the measurement operator to satisfy the Restricted Isometry Property RIP. However, RIP based linear operators are generally full rank and require large computation/storage cost for both measurement encoding as well as reconstruction decoding. In this paper, we propose simple rank-one Gaussian measurement operators for matrix sensing that are significantly less expensive in terms of memory and computation for both encoding and decoding. Moreover, we show that the matrix can be reconstructed exactly using a simple alternating minimization method as well as a nuclear-norm minimization method. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the measurement scheme vis-a-vis existing RIP based methods.
Small-Scale Thermal Energy Harvester With Copper Foams and Thermal Energy Storage

This article investigates the use of advanced, high porosity thermally conductive foams and a thermal energy storage (TES) device for small scale thermal energy harvesting. In final application, it may be employed in various real world situations that include existing systems like thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and thermal scavenging systems that provide power output from freely available thermal sources.Experimental tests were conducted using various porosity metallic copper foams ranging from 85 % to 89 % porosity. Copper foams were selected to serve as the heat exchanger innards and examined for several key attributes. These included the ability of the foams to yield capillary action with working fluids like water or 3M™ HFE7200. Thermal energy absorption by the exchanger to the working fluid was also monitored. These results were compared to other exchangers based on capillary channel fabrication techniques as previously reported by the research team. Full characterization was based on operating temperature, measured thermal input, mass transfer rate, and heat transfer capability.Preliminary investigation of a matching, small-scale TES unit designed to integrate with the heat exchanger and a future thermoelectric for energy harvesting application was also conducted. Thermal storage was accomplished via solid-liquid phase change of a paraffin wax within the TES device forming a so-called “thermal battery.” In a final design, the TES includes what is defined by thermodynamics as heat pipes. The integrations of several heat pipes, made of copper tubing and filled with working fluid, mounted vertically and immersed in the wax medium will transfer heat to the wax by means of thermal conductivity and phase transition. This represents a first of its kind in this small-scale, thermal harvesting application. The specific tests performed in this initial work included one TES unit filled with a paraffin wax medium and a second that contained several copper vertically placed tubes surrounded by the paraffin wax. The overall thermal conductivity of the phase change medium (wax) was investigated for both constructions as was the ability of each to absorb thermal energy directly.Results indicated capillary action of the working fluid was possible via incorporation of copper foams within the heat exchanger. Maximum heat flux observed in exchanger tests was 0.27 kW/m2 given an operating temperature of 76.6 °C and 2.5W thermal input. Thermal storage tests indicated a maximum thermal capture rate of 0.91 W and phase change material thermal conductivity of 1.00 W/mK for the TES device constructed with copper tubing innards. This compared favorably to the baseline wax conductivity of approximately 0.32 W/mK. Future efforts will fully incorporate both the heat exchanger and matching TES device for a complete harvesting and thermal capture system. The ability of the exchanger to provide thermal energy for storage to the “thermal battery” will be monitored.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Imaging Manifestations of Thoracic Tuberculosis

Despite significant improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis achieved during the last 3 decades, tuberculosis still remains one of the deadliest communicable diseases worldwide. Tuberculosis is still present in all regions of the world, with a more significant impact in developing countries. This article reviews the most common imaging manifestations of primary and postprimary tuberculosis, their complications, and the critical role of imaging in the diagnosis and follow-up of affected patients.
The identification of murine Peyer's patch T cell-derived factors which enhance IgA responses.

The humoral immune response to ingested antigens is dominated by antibody of the IgA isotype. In the mouse as in other higher mammals the major inductive site of secretory IgA responses is the Peyer’s patch (1). Work in this and other laboratories has indicated that regulatory T cells (2) and accessory cells (3) within the PP microenvironment play an important role in controlling the isotype specificity of mucosal immune responses. We have previously shown that treatment of whole PP cell populations, derived by enzymatic disaggregation, with the oxidative mitogen sodium periodate results in the formation of cell clusters enriched in L3T4+ T cells and dendritic cells (DC) (4). Co-culture of these cluster cells with either PP B cells or bone marrow mononuclear cells enhances polyclonal IgA production(5). Furthermore, the IgA inductive effect of the cluster cells is also found in 7 day culture supernatants of isolated clusters, indicating that the effect is mediated by soluble factors. T cell hybridomas have been produced from cluster T cells and the culture supernatants screened for IgA enhancing activity on whole PP cultures. Culture supernatants which showed IgA enhancing activity were tested for well characterized lymphokines including IL-2, IL-4 and IL-5. Attempts were also made to generate DC hybridomas by fusion of DC enriched cluster populations with a HAT sensitive subclone of the macrophage line P388D1. These initial fusions however, produced further T cell hybridomas as demonstrated by expression of surface Thy 1.2 antigen and the production of multiple T cell lymphokines. Culture supernatants from several of these hybridomas also showed potent IgA enhancing activity when added to whole PP cell cultures or LPS stimulated spleen B cell cultures. In all cases, hybridoma supernatants exhibiting IgA enhancing activity were positive for IL-4 and IL-5. To further investigate the role of these lymphokines in IgA synthesis, LPS stimulated spleen B cells and nonstimulated PP B cells were cultured with recombinant IL-4 and/or IL-5 to see if the IgA enhancing activity was associated with these molecules.
The $181,000 adverse drug reaction

This article reports the case of a 52-year-old male, status post-heart transplant, who was admitted to the hospital with profound pancytopenia. The cause was an adverse drug reaction, specifically the well-established drug interaction between allopurinol and azathioprine. This reaction was severe and costly, with total charges of $181,000 incurred during the patient's 31-day hospital stay. The annual cost of drug-related morbidity and mortality exceeds $136 billion. Adverse drug events can be classified variously; two common categories are adverse drug reactions and medication errors. If an adverse drug reaction is determined to be preventable, it can be classified as a medication error. Factors that determine preventability include whether a known drug-drug interaction was involved in the event and whether health care providers made efforts to avoid this interaction through increased monitoring or dose adjustments. Pharmacist intervention and increased vigilance can decrease the occurrence of such events. Furthermore, pharmacists who are aware of preventability factors involved in adverse drug events can become proactive leaders in the area of medication safety.
The hexagonal fast fourier transform

The discrete Fourier transform is an important tool for processing digital images. Efficient algorithms for computing the Fourier transform are known as fast Fourier transforms (FFTs). One of the most common of these is the Cooley-Tukey radix-2 decimation algorithm that efficiently transforms one-dimensional data into its frequency domain representation. The orthogonality of rectangular sampling allows the separability of the Fourier kernel which enables the use of the Cooley-Tukey algorithm on two-dimensional digital images that have been sampled rectangularly. Hexagonal sampling provides many benefits over rectangular sampling, but it does not result in the orthogonal rows and columns that can be transformed independently as is done with rectangular samples. Use of the Array Set Addressing (ASA) coordinate system for hexagonally sampled images has been shown to provide a separable Fourier kernel, leading to an efficient FFT, however its implementation is composed of nonstandard transforms that require custom routines to evaluate. This work develops a hexagonal FFT in ASA coordinates that uses only the standard Fourier transform, allowing the user to implement the hexagonal FFT using standard FFT routines.
Reciprocal waveforms at through and drop ports in microcomb generation

Bright and dark pulses were observed respectively at the through and drop ports of a normal-dispersion microresonator, illustrating the impact of a superimposed pump on the time-domain waveform of the output microcomb.
Inkjet printed circuits based on ambipolar and p-Type carbon nanotube thin-film transistors

Ambipolar and p-type single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) thin-film transistors (TFTs) are reliably integrated into various complementary-like circuits on the same substrate by inkjet printing. We describe the fabrication and characteristics of inverters, ring oscillators, and NAND gates based on complementary-like circuits fabricated with such TFTs as building blocks. We also show that complementary-like circuits have potential use as chemical sensors in ambient conditions since changes to the TFT characteristics of the p-channel TFTs in the circuit alter the overall operating characteristics of the circuit. The use of circuits rather than individual devices as sensors integrates sensing and signal processing functions, thereby simplifying overall system design.
Gold Nanorod Array Biochip for Label-Free, Multiplexed Biological Detection

Gold nanorod (GNR) based label-free sensing has been attractive due to its unique property of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Compared to bulk gold, the SPR of GNRs is more sensitive to the refractive index change caused by biological binding in the close proximity. Numerous studies have reported biological detection in solution based GNR probes. However, the biosensing has the intrinsic problems of fluctuating readings and short storage time due to nanoparticle aggregation. In contrast, a chip-based nanorod biosensor is a more robust and reliable platform. We have developed a nanoplasmonic biosensor in a chip format by immobilizing functionalized GNRs on a (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane modified glass substrate. The covalent Au-S bond ensures a strong GNR deposition on the substrate. This biochip exhibits a high sensitivity and stability when exposed to physiological buffer with high ionic strength. Another advantage of GNR as optical transducer is its LSPR peak dependence on the aspect ratio, which provides an ideal multiplexed detection mechanism. GNRs of different sizes that exhibit distinct SPR peaks are combined and deposited on designated spots of a glass substrate. The spectral shift of the respective peaks upon the biological binding are monitored for simultaneous detection of specific analytes. Coupled with a microplate reader, this spatially resolved GNR array biochip results in a high-throughput assay of samples as well as multiplexed detection in each sample. Since most biological molecules such as antibodies and DNA can be linked to GNR using previously reported surface chemistry protocol, the label-free nanosensor demonstrated here is an effective tool for protein/DNA array analysis, especially for detection of disease biomarkers.
Implementing a Tech-Check-Tech Program at a University Health System

Background: Tech-Check-Tech (TCT) allows a pharmacy technician to perform the final check of medications prepared by another technician. The effect of a TCT program on the time required to process medications in a hospital pharmacy has not been previously reported. Objective: To evaluate the effect of implementing a TCT program on the time required to prepare, check, and deliver medications to automated medication supply systems (AMSS) located throughout an academic medical center. Methods: The primary outcome was the difference in mean total time required to process AMSS medications between pre- and post-implementation periods. Forty-five days pre-TCT implementation was compared to 45 days post implementation. To assess the effect of the TCT program on pharmacist-time allocation, median times required to verify stat and routine medication orders in the computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system were analyzed. Results: Mean total time spent processing AMSS medications was 24.16 ± 2.98 hours and 16.79 ± 2.65 hours for the pre- and post-TCT implementation periods, respectively (difference of 7.37 hours; 95% CI, 6.19-8.55 hours; p < 0.0001). Median verification times for stat medication orders were 5 (interquartile range [IQR], 2-12) minutes before and 4 (IQR, 2-9) minutes after TCT implementation (p < 0.0001). For routine orders, median verification times were 12 (IQR, 4-30) minutes before and 7 (IQR, 3-18) minutes after implementation (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The total time required to process AMSS medications was significantly reduced after a TCT program was implemented in an academic medical center. Pharmacist medication order verification times were also significantly reduced.
HER2 FISH concordance in breast cancer patients with both cytology and surgical pathology specimens.

Introduction Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH) for Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) is traditionally performed on histologic specimens; there are no guidelines for validation of HER2 testing on cytology specimens. Our aim was to correlate HER2 FISH results on cytologic and histologic specimens. Materials and methods A retrospective search was conducted to identify breast carcinomas with HER2 FISH testing on both cytologic and histologic specimens. Results were interpreted using updated 2013 ASCO/CAP guidelines. Results 54 women with HER2 FISH results on both cytologic and histologic specimens were identified. HER2 FISH was performed on 26 formalin-fixed thrombin clot cell blocks, 6 Cellient (Hologic, Inc., Bedford, MA) cell blocks and 22 ThinPrep slides, and was negative in 43 (87%), positive in 8 (15%), and equivocal in 3 (5%) cases. Of 43 negative cytology cases, the histologic specimen was also negative in 40 (93%). Of 8 positive cytology cases, the histologic specimen was positive in 5 (63%). Overall, 48 of 54 cases (89%) had a concordant result. In patients with a discordant result, the average interval between HER2 FISH testing was 7 years. Three of 6 discordant cases showed HER2 genetic heterogeneity. Five patients received adjuvant chemotherapy, 2 received endocrine therapy, and 1 received trastuzumab. Conclusions FISH is reliable for determining HER2 status in cytopathology specimens. Discordant results between cytologic and surgical specimens are uncommon; possible explanations include genetic heterogeneity or inherent molecular changes associated with disease progression and therapies that occur between testing of the primary carcinoma and the metastasis.
How Do You Build Community and Foster Engagement in Online Courses

This chapter reviews research linking the importance of community in increasing engagement in online courses from an interdisciplinary perspective. Additionally, we identify applicable teaching strategies that focus on the important elements of community building, namely teaching, social, and cognitive presence.
Plasma levels of beta-thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4 as indices of platelet activation in vivo

Measurement of plasma levels of two secreted platelet proteins (beta-thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4) has been suggested as a means for detecting increased platelet activation in vivo. A crucial question in the measurement is the distinction between in vivo and in vitro secretion of the proteins. One approach to this distinction is the measurement of both proteins in each sample. These proteins are present in platelets in similar amounts and are released in similar quantities, but the plasma levels of beta-thromboglobulin exceed the plasma levels of platelet factor 4. This difference in plasma level is presumably due to more rapid removal of platelet factor 4 from the plasma level, and there is suggestive evidence that the rapid removal of released platelet factor 4 is due to its binding to endothelial cells. It appears that when there is increased release of beta-thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4 in vivo, there is an increase in the ratio of plasma beta-thromboglobulin to plasma platelet factor 4 compared to that found in normal individuals, whereas when in vitro release is responsible for elevated levels, the ratio decreases. Thus measurements of both proteins in each blood sample will allow distinction between in vivo release and artefactual in vitro release.
Impact of National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines on Case Selection and Outcomes for Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Thin Melanoma.

BACKGROUND In 2010, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommended sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for thin melanomas ≤1 mm with mitotic rate (MR) ≥1. In 2016, the criteria were changed to Breslow depth >0.75 mm and MR ≥1. OBJECTIVE To compare the impact of 2010 and 2016 NCCN guidelines on SLNB case selection and thin melanoma outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ten-year retrospective cohort of primary thin melanomas at an academic hospital was retroactively stratified for SLNB eligibility using the 2010 and 2016 NCCN guidelines. Nodal recurrence-free survival (NRFS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were compared. RESULTS Eight hundred two patients with 859 tumors and median follow-up of 79 months were included. Eleven percent fewer tumors qualified for SLNB under 2016 versus 2010 NCCN guidelines (19% vs 8%, p < .001). The 2016-qualifying cases also had lower 10-year NRFS (70.7% vs 95.2%, p < .001) and DFS (64.7% vs 91.4%, p < .001). Among 2016-qualifying cases, those that received SLNB had improved NRFS (85.6% vs 35.3%, p = .001) and DFS (80.2% vs 30.5%, p < .001) as compared to those that did not receive SLNB. CONCLUSION The 2016 NCCN guidelines reduced the number of thin melanomas qualifying for SLNB and more accurately selected cases with higher risks of nodal recurrence and death.
Decomposition Mechanisms of Anti-wear Lubricant Additive Tricresyl Phosphate on Iron Surfaces Using DFT and Atomistic Thermodynamic Studies

Tricresyl Phosphate (TCP) is widely used as an anti-wear additive for lubrication and hydraulic fluid technology in aerospace propulsion systems. However, there is no clear description of the chemistry involved in the conversion of TCP to an anti-wear film on metal surfaces. Different reaction mechanisms leading to different product formation have been described in the literature, but no attempts have been made to explain the interfacial chemistry using first principles theoretical methods. In this study, we employed density functional theory with atomistic thermodynamic modeling to study the decomposition mechanisms of TCP on an iron (110) surface. We considered three broad reaction schemes, namely TCP as phosphoric acid reservoir, thermal decomposition of TCP, and TCP decomposition by hydrolysis. Different reaction paths were considered for the three reaction schemes, and the resulting decomposition products were characterized by the change in reaction energy, density of state plots, Bader charge analysis, and work functions. We observed that all three reaction schemes had at least one pathway with decreasing reaction energy, indicating they are likely to proceed in the proposed reaction direction. In the presence of hydrogen, TCP decomposition proceeded through the phosphoric acid reservoir mechanism with the anti-wear film comprised of a phosphate group, an m-tolyl group and 1-methyl-2,5-cyclohexadiene. In the presence of moisture, TCP decomposed through hydrolysis leading to a film comprised of a phosphate group and 3-methyl-2,5-cyclohexadienol. However, in the absence of hydrogen and moisture, film formation proceeded through thermal decomposition, and the resulting film was comprised of a methylphenoxy group, a P=O group, and 3-methyl-3,5-cyclohexadienone. Several of the products formed in the calculations, such as a phosphate group, methylphenoxy group, P=O groups, and di-cresyl phosphate, have been observed experimentally in previous research, but we also observed new products, including 3-methyl-2,5-cyclohexadienol and 1-methyl-2,5-cyclohexadiene.
State anxiety following resistance exercise : The role of gender and exercise intensity

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of resistance exercise on state anxiety. In experiment 1, participants engaged in three 20-min bouts of resistance exercise, with intensity set as a function of perceived exertion. Results indicated that the relationship between resistance exercise and anxiety was moderated by both exercise intensityand gender. Although females reported no change in anxiety, males reported an increase in anxietyfollowing moderateand high-intensity exercise, and a decrease in anxiety following low intensity exercise. Experiment 2 was designed to replicate these findings utilizing a more precise manipulation of exercise intensity. Results indicated that the change in anxiety was again moderated by exercise intensity but was unaffected by gender. Both males and females reported increases in anxiety following 20 min of high-intensity exercise (75-85% of 1 RM), as well as significant decreases in anxiety following low-intensity exercise (40-50% of 1 RM).
Usefulness of the Addition of Renal Function to the CHA2DS2-VASc Score as a Predictor of Thromboembolism and Mortality in Patients Without Atrial Fibrillation.

Research is conflicting whether kidney function should be incorporated in thromboembolism risk prediction. Our published data showed that the CHA2DS2-VASc score predicts thromboembolism and mortality in those without atrial fibrillation. We used the Rochester Epidemiology Project medical records system to retrospectively evaluate whether adding renal impairment (1 point) to the CHA2DS2-VASc score (-R) enhances the score's prediction of mortality, thromboembolism, and atrial fibrillation in patients without atrial fibrillation. We identified patients that had an implantable cardiac monitoring device placed from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2013, which was defined as the start date. Follow-up was through March 7, 2016. An implantable device was required to discern the absence of atrial fibrillation. Renal impairment was defined as chronic kidney disease stage 3 or greater. The population (n = 1,606) had a mean age of 69.8 years and median follow-up of 4.8 years. Baseline renal impairment was predictive of mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 2.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.64 to 2.60, p <0.001), thromboembolism (HR 1.34, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.87, p = 0.09), and atrial fibrillation (HR 1.31, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.74, p = 0.07). Lower glomerular filtration rate correlated significantly with mortality. Increasing CHA2DS2-VASc-R score correlated significantly with mortality, thromboembolism, and incident atrial fibrillation. The addition of renal impairment to the CHA2DS2-VASc score improved the C-statistics for thromboembolism and survival from 0.72 to 0.73 (p = 0.01) and 0.70 to 0.72 (p <0.001). Adding renal impairment to the CHA2DS2-VASc score improves the score's prediction of thromboembolism and mortality in a population without atrial fibrillation, although the incremental benefit appears mild.
Creating Robust Vocabulary: Frequently Asked Questions and Extended Examples

1. Vocabulary and Its Effects 2. Which Words? 3. The Basics: When and How to Teach 4. Some Nitty-Gritties of Instruction 5. What about English Language Learners? 6. Extended Examples 7. Professional Development Appendix A. Menu of Instructional Activities Appendix B. Some Well-Known Books and Stories and Corresponding Tier Two Word Candidates
The role of the EU in climate negotiations

This chapter examines the EU’s participation in international negotiations in leadership terms by examining the extent to which the EU has been able to keep the climate negotiations on track. The analysis suggests the EU has played a constructive role in the negotiations, which could be enhanced with greater internal coordination between its Member States coupled with a greater awareness and anticipation of the needs and negotiating strategies of its international negotiating partners.
Open Content Authoring Tools

Education researchers often disagree about the best ways to improve student achievement. The difficulty of designing, conducting, and analyzing experiments means that there is often a dearth of empirical data to support or refute ideas. To design and conduct a simple randomized controlled experiment to compare two different ways of teaching requires a great deal of effort by a teacher or a researcher. The difficulty of conducting such experiments, and then later analyzing the results, may be why so few randomized controlled experiments are conducted in education. One of the goals of the ASSISTment System is to reduce some of those difficulties. We have built web-based tools that allow researchers to easily design, build and then compare different ways to teach children. These tools can administer randomized controlled experiments to large numbers of students. This paper describes these tools and describes a randomized controlled study that was conducted using them.
Tactile Facial Expressions and Associated Emotions toward Accessible Social Interactions for Individuals Who Are Blind

For individuals who are blind, much of social interactions are inaccessible: The majority of information exchanged is non-verbal, e.g., facial expressions and body language. Little work has been done toward building social assistive aids for individuals who are blind. This work presents a mapping between facial action units and vibrotactile representations that may be presented through haptic displays. We present a study exploring how well individuals who are blind can learn to recognize universal emotions of happy, sad, surprise, anger, fear and disgust from vibrotactile facial action units. Results show promising recognition accuracy and subjective feedback, demonstrating that individuals who are blind can learn to understand the emotional content of facial movements presented through vibrations.
Recent changes in the South America low-level jet

The South America Low-level Jet (SALLJ) is a climatological feature with a critical role in the spatiotemporal distribution of precipitation in South America. While previous studies have focused on the mechanisms and variability of the SALLJ in the central Andes (i.e., southeast Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay), the occurrence of the low-level jet in the eastern slopes of the northern Andes (i.e., northeast Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela) and its linkages to the central region have not been previously explored. This study shows that the SALLJ in the northern branch exceeds 10 m s−1 during September–February and the frequency can be as high as in the central region. Moreover, the SALLJ can occur simultaneously or separately in both regions. When the SALLJ is active only in the northern branch, wind speeds are very low from Bolivia towards southeast South America (SESA) and precipitation is significantly reduced (1–4 mm day−1) from climatology. In contrast, precipitation increases over eastern Bolivia by 2–4 mm day−1. Composites suggest that the SALLJ northern branch is forced by a large-scale circulation pattern with the enhancement of the North Atlantic Subtropical High driving northeasterly winds over the northern Andes. Further analysis shows that the frequency and intensity of the SALLJ in the northern Andes has substantially increased in the last 39 years. The South American low-level jet (SALLJ) plays a key role in determining South American precipitation patterns. Previous research has focused primarily on the low-level jet over the central Andes. Charles Jones of the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA shows that a northern branch of SALLJ forms over Venezuela, Colombia and northeast Peru with similar frequency to the low-level jet in the central Andes, but with differing vertical wind speed profiles, distinct climatological wind features and larger seasonal variations. When SALLJ is active in the northern region, precipitation is enhanced in Bolivia on the eastern Andes slopes, but decreases over southeastern South America. The formation of the northern branch of the SALLJ is associated with suppressed convection and cold sea surface temperature in the tropical eastern Pacific. This improved understanding of SALLJ can aid global climate models that have traditionally struggled to represent precipitation over southeastern South America.
103 – Carcinoid Tumors

Publisher Summary Carcinoid tumor can arise anywhere in the body. About 70% originate within three organs: the appendix, the small intestine, and the rectum. Most appendiceal carcinoids are small, do not cause symptoms, and are diagnosed incidentally during appendectomy. Larger tumors are found more frequently with small bowel than with appendiceal carcinoids. Most small bowel carcinoids occur in the ileum. Carcinoids may cause mesenteric fibrosis with partial bowel obstruction. Patients may have abdominal symptoms for months before diagnosis. Half of the rectal carcinoids are found incidentally at routine sigmoidoscopy. Rectal carcinoids do not secrete serotonin and are not associated with the carcinoid syndrome. The most dramatic manifestation of carcinoid tumors is the carcinoid crisis. This is observed in patients who have more intense syndromes associated with foregut carcinoids or increased 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid. Treatment of localized carcinoid tumors is surgical resection. Carcinoids smaller than 2 cm are usually cured.
Lifestyle Medicine in the Midst of a Pandemic

Patients with chronic conditions are at higher risk of complications and mortality if they get COVID-19. Approximately half of American adults have at least 1 condition that increases their risk of...
The time it takes to reveal embarrassing information in a mobile phone survey

To explore socially desirable responding in telephone surveys, this study examines response latencies in answers to 27 questions in 319 audio-recorded iPhone interviews from Schober et al. (2015). Response latencies were compared when respondents (a) answered questions on sensitive vs. nonsensitive topics (as classified by online raters); (b) produced more vs. less socially desirable answers; and (c) were interviewed by a professional interviewer or an automated system. Respondents answered questions on sensitive topics more quickly than on nonsensitive topics, though patterns varied by question format (categorical, numerical, ordinal). Independent of question sensitivity, respondents gave less socially desirable answers more quickly when answering categorical and ordinal questions but more slowly when answering numeric questions. Respondents were particularly quicker to answer sensitive questions when asked by interviewers than by the automated system. Findings demonstrate that response times can be (differently) revealing about question and response sensitivity in a telephone survey.
TRANSIT OPERATING STRATEGIES: TENTATIVE GUIDELINES

Transit operating strategies (TOS) are designed to address a set of problems arising from a sudden shock to the normal steady state operation of a transit system. The identification and classification of sets of transit operating strategies, the constraints and environment under which a transit operating strategy is implemented, and the class of problems that each TOS can best address are explored. Heuristic implementation guidelines for each identified transit operating strategy are developed, intending to improve the search process in devising control responses. No attempt is made to optimize the operation of a transit system under non steady-state conditions. Rather, the implementation guidelines serve to search and subsequently implement good control responses.
X-ray crystallography of partially liganded structures.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on human hemoglobin (Hb), because this has been studied the most, and generally restricts the discussion to Hb A. Extrapolation to other species is not exact, but the resulting conclusions may provide a reasonable and informed starting point for further studies. New results are expectedon the fish hemoglobins: it should be possible to produce fully liganded Root effect molecules in the T state. All of the intermediate-state crystals so far studied have had either the tensed (T) or relaxed (R) quaternary organization, or slight deviations from it, with one exception: this chapter also has described a modified R state, which they call R2 that has a tertiary structure similar to the R state, but a different quaternary structure. Crystallization of proteins in general is also discussed in the chapter. For Hb, the first thing to consider is which quaternary state is desired. For the T state either high salt or low-salt conditions may be employed. The R state has normally been grown from high-salt conditions, but crystallization of the R2 state was from polyethylene glycol (PEG).