cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and surface enthalpy of MgGa2O4 spinel

Abstract Surface enthalpy for magnesium gallate, MgGa 2 O 4 spinel, was directly measured using water adsorption microcalorimetry. The method relies on the Gibbs adsorption theory, using the heat involved when water molecules are adsorbed on the surface of the oxide to derive accurate surface enthalpy data. For this method to be efficient, high amounts of surfaces need to be probe, requiring the usage of nanoparticles. Therefore, in this study we initially propose a new method to synthesize MgGa 2 O 4 nanoparticles by controlling the pH of the precipitating solution during co-precipitation of Mg,Ga hydroxides, followed by calcination. The nanoparticles showed the spinel phase and were characterized in terms of composition before subjected to calorimetry. The surface energy of the studied MgGa 2 O 4 nanoparticles was found to be 1.44 ± 0.1 J/m 2 , consistently with surface energy data reported for other spinels.
Fully Packaged Carbon Nanotube Supercapacitors by Direct Ink Writing on Flexible Substrates

The ability to print fully packaged integrated energy storage components (e.g., supercapacitors) is of critical importance for practical applications of printed electronics. Due to the limited variety of printable materials, most studies on printed supercapacitors focus on printing the electrode materials but rarely the full-packaged cell. This work presents for the first time the printing of a fully packaged single-wall carbon nanotube-based supercapacitor with direct ink writing (DIW) technology. Enabled by the developed ink formula, DIW setup, and cell architecture, the whole printing process is mask free, transfer free, and alignment free with precise and repeatable control on the spatial distribution of all constituent materials. Studies on cell design show that a wider electrode pattern and narrower gap distance between electrodes lead to higher specific capacitance. The as-printed fully packaged supercapacitors have energy and power performances that are among the best in recently reported planar c...
Error Type and Lexical Frequency Effects: Error Detection in Swedish Children With Language Impairment

Purpose The first aim of this study was to investigate if Swedish-speaking school-age children with language impairment (LI) show specific morphosyntactic vulnerabilities in error detection. The se...
Incorporating human readiness levels at Sandia National Laboratories

Since 2010, the concept of human readiness levels (HRL) has been under development as a possible supplement to the existing technology readiness levels (TRL) scale. The intent is to provide a mechanism to address safety and performance risks associated with the human component in a system that parallels the TRL structure already familiar to the systems engineering community. Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, initiated a study in 2015 to evaluate options to incorporate human readiness planning for Sandia processes and products. To date, the study team has baselined current development processes at Sandia and collected feedback on the viability ofpotential options for human readiness planning. Future efforts entail assessing the utility of identified solutions in one or more test cases.
GPCR6A Is a Molecular Target for the Natural Products Gallate and EGCG in Green Tea.

Scope: The molecular mechanisms whereby gallates in green tea exert metabolic effects are poorly understood. Methods and results: We found that GPRC6A, a multi-ligand-sensing G-protein-coupled receptor that regulates energy metabolism, sex hormone production, and prostate cancer progression, is a target for gallates. Sodium gallate (SG), gallic acid (GA) > ethyl gallate (EG) > octyl gallate (OG) dose dependently activated ERK in HEK-293 cells transfected with GPRC6A but not in non-transfected controls. SG also stimulated insulin secretion in β-cells isolated from wild-type mice similar to the endogenous GPRC6A ligands, osteocalcin (Ocn) and testosterone (T). Side-chain additions to create OG resulted in loss of GPRC6A agonist activity. Another component of green tea, epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG), dose-dependently inhibited Ocn activation of GPRC6A in HEK-293 cells transfected with GPRC6A and blocked the effect of Ocn in stimulating glucose production in CH10T1/2 cells. Using structural models of the venus fly trap (VFT) and 7-transmembrane (7-TM) domains of GPRC6A, calculations suggest that l-amino acids and GA bind to the VFT, whereas EGCG is calculated to bind to sites in both the VFT and 7-TM. Conclusion: GA and EGCG have offsetting agonist and antagonist effects on GPRC6A that may account for the variable metabolic effect of green tea consumption.
Viscoelastic diamine surfactant for stable carbon dioxide/water foams over a wide range in salinity and temperature.

Abstract Hypothesis The viscosity and stability of CO2/water foams at elevated temperature can be increased significantly with highly viscoelastic aqueous lamellae. The slow thinning of these viscoelastic lamellae leads to greater foam stability upon slowing down Ostwald ripening and coalescence. In the aqueous phase, the viscoelasticity may be increased by increasing the surfactant tail length to form more entangled micelles even at high temperatures and salinity. Experiments Systematic measurements of the steady state shear viscosity of aqueous solutions of the diamine surfactant (C16-18N(CH3)C3N(CH3)2) were conducted at varying surfactant concentrations and salinity to determine the parameters for formation of entangled wormlike micelles. The apparent viscosity and stability of CO2/water foams were compared for systems with viscoelastic entangled micellar aqueous phases relative to those with much less viscous spherical micelles. Findings We demonstrated for the first time stable CO2/water foams at temperatures up to 120 °C and CO2 volumetric fractions up to 0.98 with a single diamine surfactant, C16-18N(CH3)C3N(CH3)2. The foam stability was increased by increasing the packing parameter of the surfactant with a long tail and methyl substitution on the amine to form entangled viscoelastic wormlike micelles in the aqueous phase. The foam was more viscous and stable compared to foams with spherical micelles in the aqueous lamellae as seen with C12-14N(EO)2 and C16-18N(EO)C3N(EO)2.
Hinode Observations of Flows and Heating Associated with Magnetic Reconnection During Solar Flares

The three instruments on the Hinode satellite give a wealth of information about the aftermath of reconnection in solar flares. As magnetic fields reconnect during solar flares, flows and heating are observed in the corona as well as in the chromosphere, where the magnetic fields are line tied. The X-Ray Telescope and the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) have the temperature sensitivity and spatial resolution to observe these phenomena in the corona, and the Solar Optical Telescope and EIS can observe the signatures of heating and flows, respectively, at the flare footpoints. In this chapter, we will review the observational evidence for heating and flows in the corona and chromosphere in the aftermath of flare reconnection.
Educational Value of a 3D Printer in Ophthalmology Training

Three-dimensional (3D) printers are increasingly being used in medicine for surgical planning, medical education, patient education, research, and device development. We explore the educational value of a 3D printer for trainees in an ophthalmology residency program. A 3D printer was made available to medical students, residents, and clinical and research fellows in the Department of Ophthalmology at Case Western Reserve University. One of the medical students was proficient in the technology and was available to help. Multiple projects were initiated including the manufacturing of slit-lamp cellphone adapters and various interface and integral custom-made parts for research applications. The 3D printer was found to be useful by 20 of 21 trainees surveyed with 17 of 20 saying they would use it after graduation if they had access to one. All the respondents felt that the availability of the technology can contribute to increased innovation in the ophthalmology department. We encourage other ophthalmology departments to experiment with 3D printing as a tool to foster innovation and creativity for trainees.
Peritumoral Edema Relative to Meningioma Size Predicts Functional Outcomes after Resection in Older Patients

BACKGROUND Resection of meningiomas in older adults is associated with increased complications and postoperative functional deficits. Extent of peritumoral edema (PTE), which has been associated with surgical prognosis, may represent a preoperative risk marker for poorer outcomes in older adults. OBJECTIVE To quantitatively evaluate the relationship between preoperative PTE and postresection outcomes in older meningioma patients. METHODS One hundred twelve older meningioma patients (age ≥ 60) with evidence of PTE on MRI were reviewed. Extent of PTE, measured as a ratio of edema to tumor volume (edema index, EI) using semiautomatic image-processing software, was correlated with postresection outcomes. Other preoperative factors were included as covariates in multivariate analyses. Results were compared to matched nonedema older patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to identify cut-off EI values to predict postoperative outcomes. RESULTS EI was associated with functional decline (as measured by Karnofsky Performance Status, KPS) at 6 mo, 1, 2 yr, and most recent follow-up (Ps < .05), but not among the nonedema matched patients. Seizure or prior stroke additionally trended towards increasing the likelihood of lower KPS at 2 yr (odds ratio = 3.06) and last follow-up (odds ratio = 5.55), respectively. ROC curve analysis found optimal cut-off values for EI ranging from 2.01 to 3.37 to predict lower KPS at each follow-up interval. Sensitivities ranged from 60% to 80%, specificities from 78% to 89%, and positive and negative predictive values from 38% to 58% and 80% to 97%. CONCLUSION Preoperative PTE may represent a significant marker of poor functional outcome risk in older adults and provides a quantitative measurement to incorporate into surgical decision-making.
An Overview of Randomized Algorithms

A randomized algorithm makes random choices during its execution. The behavior of such an algorithm may thus be random even on a fixed input. The process of designing and analyzing a randomized algorithm focuses on establishing that it is likely to behave “well” on every input. The likelihood in such a statement depends only on the probabilistic choices made by the algorithm during execution and not on any assumptions about the input. It is especially important to distinguish a randomized algorithm from the averagecase analysis of algorithms, where one analyzes an algorithm assuming that its input is drawn from a fixed probability distribution. With a randomized algorithm, in contrast, no assumption is made about the input.
Can a Traditional Libertarian or Incompatibilist Free Will Be Reconciled with Modern Science? Steps Toward a Positive Answer

The landscape of free will debate was simpler in the 1960s when I first began dealing with the problem of free will. The unstated assumption was that if you had scientific leanings, you would naturally be a compatibilist about free will (believing it to be compatible with determinism). By contrast, if you defended a libertarian or incompatibilist free will, requiring indeterminism, you must inevitably reduce free will to mere chance or to the mystery of uncaused causes, immaterial minds, noumenal selves, or prime movers unmoved. The question I set for myself back then was how one might reconcile a traditional incompatibilist free will requiring indeterminism with modern science without reducing it to either chance or mystery. It has turned out that doing so required rethinking many facets of the traditional problem of free will from the ground up. I report on some results of this rethinking in this paper.
First-mover advantage: An integrative framework in economics, strategic management and marketing with empirical models in the banking industry

Empirical work on the first-mover advantage concept has been somewhat conclusive in that researchers have found more evidence of a first-mover advantage than its absence. However, the theoretical and conceptual models of the first-mover advantage have been divergent within and among the economic and management sciences literature. In three distinct, but related, essays, this dissertation comprises one theoretical research study and two empirical tests of the first-mover advantage concept. In the theoretical essay, I consider the conceptualization of the terms first-mover and first-mover advantage in order to introduce an integrative conceptual framework that can be applied in the economic and management sciences. Contrary to frameworks already developed in several key studies, the proposed integrative framework shows that temporal considerations if taken into account can aid in the understanding of factors that affect the first-mover advantage. Through the second research study, I propose to fill a gap in the multinational banking literature with an empirical investigation of first-mover bank activity in order to understand the market effect of the foreign expansion of U.S. banks. Specifically, I test the first-mover advantage hypothesis by analyzing the effect of U.S. bank branch expansion overseas on city market shares of deposits from 1992-2005. Overall, I find that first-mover banks in a foreign city gain a statistically significant advantage over banks that locate in the same city afterwards. The U.S. banking industry has experienced several changes since the 1980s. These changes, in turn, have motivated banks to employ innovative competitive strategies in order to gain a greater share of the market. The key research issue remaining involves developing a measure to test the extent of innovative banking products. One such test is the first-mover advantage. For the third research study, I test the first-mover advantage hypothesis by analyzing the effect of a major deposit account product adopted in the U.S. banking industry since the 1980s. Overall, I find that first-mover banks, at the branch-level throughout the United States, gain a statistically significant advantage in market share over followers during 1994-2008.
Bridging the Housing and Health Policy Divide: Lessons in Community Development from Memphis and Baltimore.

Governments and nonprofits routinely partner to launch place-based initiatives in distressed neighborhoods with the goal of stabilizing real estate markets, reclaiming vacant properties, abating pu...
Neutropenia, Hypoxia, and the Complexities of Emergency Medicine: A Case of Dapsone-Induced Methemoglobinemia.

Abstract Background Methemoglobinemia is a rare dyshemoglobinemia that can be difficult to diagnose due to its nonspecific symptomatology and infrequent occurrence. A number of commonly used medications have been known to contribute to this disease process that results in acute hypoxemia. Case Report A 60-year-old man with history of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with asymptomatic hypoxia. Supplemental oxygen proves to be ineffective in treating his low oxygen saturation. Numerous testing modalities are performed in the ED focused on an infectious versus pulmonary etiology prior to coming to the conclusion that the source is methemoglobinemia induced by dapsone therapy. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? This article discusses the basic pathophysiology of the disease and the expected clinical findings. Patient outcome is correlated with prompt identification and discontinuation of the offending agents leading to the excessive accumulation of methemoglobin in the circulatory system. This makes it crucial that emergency providers know the symptomatology of the disease to facilitate appropriate treatment therapy.
The Potential of Spatial Computing to Augment Memory: Investigating Recall in Virtual Memory Palaces

The Method of Loci (MoL) is an ancient mnemonic technique rooted in the encoding of spatial context into episodic memory through the use of memory palaces. The increasing availability of consumer-grade virtual reality (VR) headsets has ushered in a new era of research into whether VR technology could be used to support and enhance the construction and navigation of memory palaces, and hence, augment human memory. The current study investigated recall in a traditional mental memory palace, compared to a virtual memory palace with prepopulated objects navigated on a VR headset. Participants were randomly assigned into one of two conditions: building a memory palace using a traditional, imaginative technique or being introduced to a pre-existing and pre-populated virtual memory palace. In each condition, participants were asked to memorize lists of various objects. Results revealed that the use of MoL to memorize the lists improved recall of objects compared to baseline performance, which involved unstructured recall with no mnemonic technique. That said, recall performances were comparable in the VR-based MoL and traditional MoL conditions, indicating that virtual memory palaces are as effective as traditional, imaginative technique, but not more effective. Of note, participants in the VR-based MoL condition reported greater confidence in the effectiveness of the MoL technique, when compared to the traditional MoL condition. For naive users, this increased level of confidence in utilizing the MoL could be a factor when introducing the technique. A virtual memory palace could serve as a structured memory augmentation environment using the MoL, affording a greater ability and motivation to apply the technique mentally in the future. The study highlights the potential of VR-based spatial computing to augment human memory.
Emerging Insights into the Metabolic Alterations in Aging Using Metabolomics.

Metabolomics is the latest ‘omics’ technology and systems biology science that allows for comprehensive profiling of small-molecule metabolites in biological systems at a specific time and condition. Metabolites are cellular intermediate products of metabolic reactions, which reflect the ultimate response to genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, or environmental changes in a biological system. Aging is a complex biological process that is characterized by a gradual and progressive decline in molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, and organismal functions, and it is influenced by a combination of genetic, environmental, diet, and lifestyle factors. The precise biological mechanisms of aging remain unknown. Metabolomics has emerged as a powerful tool to characterize the organism phenotypes, identify altered metabolites, pathways, novel biomarkers in aging and disease, and offers wide clinical applications. Here, I will provide a comprehensive overview of our current knowledge on metabolomics led studies in aging with particular emphasis on studies leading to biomarker discovery. Based on the data obtained from model organisms and humans, it is evident that metabolites associated with amino acids, lipids, carbohydrate, and redox metabolism may serve as biomarkers of aging and/or longevity. Current challenges and key questions that should be addressed in the future to advance our understanding of the biological mechanisms of aging are discussed.
Forecasting with Alternative Data

We consider the problem of forecasting fine-grained company financials, such as daily revenue, from two input types: noisy proxy signals a la alternative data (e.g. credit card transactions) and sparse ground-truth observations (e.g. quarterly earnings reports). We utilize a classical linear systems model to capture both the evolution of the hidden or latent state (e.g. daily revenue), as well as the proxy signal (e.g. credit cards transactions). The linear system model is particularly well suited here as data is extremely sparse (4 quarterly reports per year). In classical system identification, where the central theme is to learn parameters for such linear systems, unbiased and consistent estimation of parameters is not feasible: the likelihood is non-convex; and worse, the global optimum for maximum likelihood estimation is often non-unique.As the main contribution of this work, we provide a simple, consistent estimator of all parameters for the linear system model of interest; in addition the estimation is unbiased for some of the parameters. In effect, the additional sparse observations of aggregate hidden state (e.g. quarterly reports) enable system identification in our setup that is not feasible in general. For estimating and forecasting hidden state (actual earnings) using the noisy observations (daily credit card transactions), we utilize the learned linear model along with a natural adaptation of classical Kalman filtering (or Belief Propagation). This leads to optimal inference with respect to mean-squared error. Analytically, we argue that even though the underlying linear system may be "unstable,'' "uncontrollable,'' or "undetectable'' in the classical setting, our setup and inference algorithm allow for estimation of hidden state with bounded error. Further, the estimation error of the algorithm monotonically decreases as the frequency of the sparse observations increases. This, seemingly intuitive insight contradicts the word on the Street. Finally, we utilize our framework to estimate quarterly earnings of 34 public companies using credit card transaction data. Our data-driven method convincingly outperforms the Wall Street consensus (analyst) estimates even though our method uses only credit card data as input, while the Wall Street consensus is based on various data sources including experts' input.
Evidence's #MeToo Moment

The #MeToo movement has drawn attention to the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence. But more importantly, it has exposed how society discounts the testimony of women. This Article unfolds how this credibility discounting is reinforced in our evidentiary system through the use of character for untruthfulness evidence to impeach victims. Specifically, through defense attorneys’ practice of impeaching sexual and gender-based violence victims’ character for truthfulness as a way to introduce functional evidence of credibility biases regarding the trustworthiness of sexual and gender-based violence victims and the plausibility of their testimonies. The Article further shows a correlation between the poor performance of our legal system in redressing the harms associated with sexual and gender-based violence and our evidentiary rules. Accordingly, the Article advocates reforming the use of character for untruthfulness evidence and proposes a rule that attempts to temper the prejudicial effects caused by long-held credibility biases against sexual and gender-based violence victims with a well-established impeachment tradition, constitutional protections, and judicial efficiency. It does so in hopes that the #MeToo movement becomes a catalyst in the judicial response against sexual and gender-based violence.
Predicting Successful Low Vision Rehabilitation with Telescopic Spectacles

Although telescopic spectacles magnify the retinal image and should improve functional vision, many low vision patients are unable to use them. The authors found that involuntary head movements and...
Automated Damage Assessment of Critical Infrastructure Using Online Mapping Technique with Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Rapid inspection and assessment of critical infrastructure after man-made and natural disasters is a matter of homeland security. The primary aim of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of leveraging small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) in support of the rapid recovery of critical infrastructure in the aftermath of catastrophic events. We propose our data collection, detection and assessment system, using a sUAS equipped with a Lidar and a camera. This method provides a solution in fast post-disaster response and assists human responders in damage investigation.
Evaluation of glioblastoma tumor microenvironment after treatment with pembrolizumab.

2559Background: Neoadjuvant pembrolizumab improved outcome of patients with recurrent Glioblastoma (GBM) in two early phase clinical trials. However, several large phase II/III studies in patients ...
Non-Detection of L-band Line Emission from the Exo-Planet HD189733b

We attempt to confirm bright non-LTE emission from the exoplanet HD189733b at 3.25 microns, as recently reported by Swain et al. (2010) based on observations at low spectral resolving power (R ~ 30). Non-LTE emission lines from gas in an exoplanet atmosphere will not be significantly broadened by collisions, so the measured emission intensity per resolution element must be substantially brighter when observed at high spectral resolving power. We observed the planet before, during, and after a secondary eclipse event at a resolving power R = 27,000 using the NIRSPEC spectrometer on the Keck II telescope. Our spectra cover a spectral window near the peak found by Swain et al., and we compare emission cases that could account for the magnitude and wavelength dependence of the Swain et al. result with our final spectral residuals. To model the expected line emission, we use a general non-equilibrium formulation to synthesize emission features from all plausible molecules that emit in this spectral region. In every case, we detect no line emission to a high degree of confidence. After considering possible explanations for the Swain et al. results and the disparity with our own data, we conclude that an astrophysical source for the putative non-LTE emission is unlikely. We note that the wavelength dependence of the signal seen by Swain et al. closely matches the 2nu2 band of water vapor at 300K, and we suggest that an imperfect correction for telluric water is the source of the feature claimed by Swain et al.
Concurrent diagnosis of anxiety increases postoperative length of stay among patients receiving esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

Objective Psychiatric comorbidities disproportionately affect patients with cancer. While identified risk factors for prolonged length of stay (LOS) after esophagectomy are primarily medical comorbidities, the impact of psychiatric comorbidities on perioperative outcomes is unclear. We hypothesized that psychiatric comorbidities would prolong LOS in patients with esophageal cancer. Methods The 2016 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was used to identify patients with esophageal cancer receiving esophagectomy. Concurrent psychiatric illness was categorized using Clinical Classifications Software Refined for ICD-10, creating 34 psychiatric diagnosis groups (PDGs). Only PDGs with >1% prevalence in the cohort were included in the analysis. The outcome of interest was hospital LOS. Bivariable testing was performed to determine the association of PDGs and demographic factors on LOS using rank sum test. Multivariable regression analysis was performed using backward selection from bivariable testing (α ≤ 0.05). Results We identified 1,730 patients who underwent esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in the 2016 NIS. The median LOS was 8 days (IQR 5-12). In bivariable testing, a concurrent diagnosis of anxiety was the only PDG associated with LOS (9 days (IQR 6-14) with anxiety diagnosis versus 8 days (IQR 5-12) with no anxiety diagnosis, p = 0.022). Multivariable modeling showed an independent association between anxiety diagnosis and increased LOS (OR 4.82 (1.25-25.23), p = 0.022). Anxiety was not associated with increased hospital cost or in-hospital mortality. Conclusions This analysis demonstrates an independent effect of anxiety prolonging postoperative LOS after esophagectomy in the United States. These findings may influence perioperative care, patient expectations, and resource allocation.
Single Port Transvesical Robotic Radical Prostatectomy: Initial Clinical Experience and Description of Technique

Abstract Objective To describe our surgical technique and early results for the single port (SP) transvesical robotic radical prostatectomy using the da Vinci SP surgical system. Patients & Methods Twenty patients underwent SP radical prostatectomy through a transvesical approach. Through a 3 cm suprapubic incision, the bladder was incised and a GelPOINT mini system was used for floating docking. Through the gel port, the dedicated SP robotic port, a 12 mm assistant port, and a flexible suction tubing were introduced. Results All cases were completed successfully without need for extra ports or conversion. No intraoperative complications were recorded. Median (IQR) total robotic time was 119 (99-127) minutes. Median (IQR) estimated blood loss was 135 (100-162) mL. Median (IQR) hospital length of stay was 4.4 (3.9-22.2) hours. None of the patients required opioids use after discharge. Median (IQR) time with a Foley catheter after surgery was 4 ( 4 , 5 , 6 ) days and 75% of the patients had immediate continence within 48 hours after Foley catheter removal. 85% were totally continent within 10 days after catheter removal. Three patients (15%) had positive surgical margins (all focal) on pathology. Two patients had transvesical lymph node dissection with 4 and 15 lymph nodes negative on final pathology. Conclusion We demonstrated the feasibility of SP robotic transvesical radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection using a dedicated SP robotic platform. Favorable perioperative outcomes were seen, along with low complication rate, same day discharge, elimination of opioid requirement, and high rate of immediate recovery of continence as well as a low positive margin rate.
Role of Cardiac CT in Preopertaive and Postoperative Evaluation of Congenital Heart Defects in Children

Cardiac imaging plays a key role in the accurate diagnosis of pediatric congenital heart disease (CHD). Cardiac CT is increasingly being used for the evaluation of cardiovascular structures in infants and children with CHD. The prevalence of patients with congenital heart disease is rapidly increasing as a result of improved outcomes of surgical treatment strategies. The development of the current cardiac computed tomography imaging technologies facilitates the diagnosis with a less invasive intervention and low radiation exposure. A thorough understanding of complex spatial relationships between anatomical and defective structures may avoid unexpected findings and therefore may reduce operative time, morbidity, and mortality. Cardiac computed tomography also serves as a crucial imaging modality in the postoperative follow-up of repaired congenital heart disease.
Clinical Relevance of Intracranial Hemorrhage Volume in Primary and Metastatic Brain Tumors

Abstract Background Venous thromboembolism occurs in approximately 15-30% of individuals with primary or metastatic brain tumors. Spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is also a frequent complication of brain tumors thus complicating the decision to administer therapeutic anticoagulation. We previously demonstrated that anticoagulation does not increase the risk of ICH in patients with brain metastases; however, in the setting of glioma, the risk of major ICH is 13-fold higher during exposure to anticoagulation. Absent a standardized definition of major intracranial hemorrhage, major was based on bleed volume greater than 10ml, symptoms, or requiring surgical intervention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the 10 mL bleed volume cutoff with clinical presentation and outcomes for ICH with brain tumors. Methods In a retrospective matched-cohort study, we evaluated patients who had primary brain tumors (n=133) and those with metastatic tumors (n=293). Matched controls were identified using a round-robin algorithm that identified best-match according to baseline demographics. A blinded review of radiographic imaging was performed and the volume of hemorrhage calculated using the ½ ABC method. Patient charts were reviewed for all surgical procedures associated with hemorrhages as well as for the presence of symptoms such as focal neurologic deficit, headache, nausea, or change in cognitive function. Statistical comparisons were performed by one sided Fisher's test and log rank test on Kaplan-Meier estimates of survival. Results A total of 61 out of 133 patients with primary brain tumors (45.8%), and 138 patients out of 293 patients with metastatic tumors (47%) were identified with an intracranial hemorrhage. In metastatic tumors, 87.5% (21 of 24) patients with a bleed volume of 10 mL or higher were symptomatic compared with 36% with smaller volumes (P 10 mL either in glioma (P=0.3) or brain metastases (P=0.65). A threshold of 10 mL ICH also discriminated between the need for neurosurgical procedure (odds ratio 8.50, 95% CI 3.29-21.70, P Conclusions Intracranial bleed volume of 10 mL or more in patients with primary or metastatic brain tumors consistently correlated with clinical symptoms and need for surgical intervention. Volume assessment is an important element in assessing the clinical significance of intracranial hemorrhage and this data supports the implementation of a 10 mL volume threshold to characterize intracranial hemorrhages in cancer patients. Disclosures Neuberg: Synta Pharmaceuticals: Other: Stock shares.
The Status of Medical Student Education in Pregnancy Options Counseling: a Review

The Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) has acknowledged the importance of pregnancy options counseling by listing it as a “shows how” skill for all undergraduate medical students. Unfortunately, there is no standard curriculum utilized to teach medical students pregnancy options counseling or to assess skill sustainability over time. To review and summarize the literature on pregnancy options counseling in undergraduate medical education. We performed a structured literature review searching Google Scholar, PubMed, and EMBASE for articles between 2000 and February 2020. Inclusion criteria were English language studies of M. D. and D.O. programs in North America with a discussion of pregnancy options counseling as it relates to medical student education. There is a small but growing body of literature on pregnancy options counseling in medical student education. The common themes across the 17 papers reviewed include the status of pregnancy options counseling in undergraduate medical education, barriers to teaching options counseling, the timing of education, utilization of the options counseling Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), learner challenges, and novel strategies for implementing education in options counseling and subsequent learning outcomes. There is no standardized pregnancy options counseling curriculum in undergraduate medical education (UME). The landscape in which this important skill is being taught is one of random, insufficient, and uncoordinated curricular interventions. This is the only review on this subject, making it a unique summary on pregnancy options counseling in UME.
Psychological and Physiological Influences on Multicultural and Nonverbal Assessment

This chapter describes some salient physiological and psychological influences on multicultural and nonverbal assessment. Obviously, examinees who require nonverbal assessment, those from culturally diverse settings and those with emotional problems and/or language deficits, may behave in ways that are different from mainstream examinees and those who present no language-related problems. Examiners who are sensitive to these differences, to the psychological impact of the testing environment, and the impact of biology on test behavior will be more successful in reducing construct-irrelevant variance in test scores and in obtaining more accurate estimates of intellectual, educational, and emotional functioning. In particular, examiners should determine whether the examinee’s physiological condition is optimal for testing; one particularly salient consideration is the extent to which medications have been administered to examinees before testing, and the dosage level; this information should be included in the psychoeducational report. In addition, if an examiner suspects that an examinee is under the influence of illicit drugs the session should be terminated until the examinee is drug free. Examiners who are aware of the conditions under which tests are administered, who can relate the impact of these influences to the success or failure of the child in the testing session, and who can extrapolate the impact of these influences to the school and home will be more successful in accurately describing performance levels and potential of the examinee, and ultimately in helping teachers and parents help children.
Development of a system for characterizing biomass quality of lignocellulosic feedstocks for biochemical conversion

16 Introduction 19 Materials and Methods 23 Results 30 Discussion 32 Acknowledgements 36 References 36 Chapter 3. Carbohydrate availability model for determining lignocellulosic biomass feedstock quality 49 Abstract 49 Introduction 52 Theory 54 Materials and Methods 57 Results and Discussion 61 Acknowledgements 65 References 65 Chapter 4. High-throughput assay for screening biomass feedstocks for biochemical conversion to fuels 7449 Introduction 52 Theory 54 Materials and Methods 57 Results and Discussion 61 Acknowledgements 65 References 65 Chapter 4. High-throughput assay for screening biomass feedstocks for biochemical conversion to fuels 74 Abstract 74 Introduction 77 Materials and Methods 80 Results and Discussion 87 Acknowledgements 90 References 9174 Introduction 77 Materials and Methods 80 Results and Discussion 87 Acknowledgements 90 References 91
Down's syndrome and cystic fibrosis.

The association of Down syndrome with cystic fibrosis (CF) is a very interesting problem. Recently Dr. Milunsky reported three cases; one was confitmed by karyograni as trisomy 21. We have studied a newborn with trisomy 21 and cystic fibrosis who showed an unusual hematologic picture with hypoplastic thrombocytopenia at the same time. Diagnosis was confirmed by: sweat-test (81 mEq Na I, 141 mEq Cl/1), absence of pancreatic enzymes in duodenal juice, delayed meconium passage, pneumonia, and intestinal problems. The infant died at 49 days of age with severe diarrhea, anemia, leukopenia (WBC 3500/mm, with 520 neutrophiles) and a platelet count of 2000/mm.
Electric Machine Analysis and Simulation

The sections in this article are 1 d–q–0 Representation of Three-Phase Quantities 2 d–q–0 Representation of Three-Phase Induction Machines 3 Simulation of Induction Machine Using Flux Linkages as State Variables 4 Modeling of Saturation 5 Simulation of Deep Bar Effect 6 Saturation Model with Currents as State Variables 7 Simulation of Synchronous Machine 8 Saturation Model of Wound Field Synchronous Machine 9 Other Machines
Remarks Made Before the United Nations General Assembly Ad Hoc Committee on Sovereign Debt Restructuring

General Assembly resolution 69/247 established the Ad Hoc Committee on Sovereign Debt Restructuring, with instructions to "elaborate ... a multilateral legal framework for sovereign debt restructuring processes." These invited remarks discuss the historical context for this effort, which spans at least two centuries. I make two primary points. First, for at least two centuries, reformers and market participants have attempted to solve the very same technical problems, typically by amending contracts rather than building institutions. Second, just as reformers use contracts as tools of market governance, private actors use contracts to maximize their own interests, and not always in a way that enhances social welfare. Using expansive waivers of sovereign immunity as an example, I suggest that contract reform will be a never-ending process.
Selection for mating reluctance in females of a diploid parthenogenetic strain of Drosophila mercatorum.

ABSTRACT A diploid parthenogenetic strain of Drosophila mercatorum was outcrossed to produce genetic variance among the impaternate female offspring. Selection experiments were carried out for reluctance of the parthenogenetic females to mate. After only two cycles of selection, a parthenogenetic strain which is significantly less receptive to males from three different bisexual strains was obtained. It was also found that there is some degree of sexual isolation among the three bisexual strains used. The results support the idea that selection can render a newly produced diploid parthenogenetic strain behaviorally different from its bisexual ancestor. This appears to provide a framework which can explain the natural coexistence of diploid bisexual and diploid parthenogenetic biotypes in some species of insects.
The Impact of Shareholder Activism on Target Companies: A Survey of Empirical Findings

Researchers and investors disagree over the extent to which shareholder activism facilitates improvements in target firms' values, earnings, operations, and governance structures. The disagreement persists despite numerous empirical studies on the topic. In this paper I survey the recent empirical research on shareholder activism, and conclude that the disagreement among researchers is more apparent than real. Most evidence indicates that shareholder activism can prompt small changes in target firms' governance structures, but has negligible impacts on share values and earnings. To be sure, some empirical results are mixed. But much of the disagreement among researchers reflects differences in the metrics emphasized. Researchers emphasizing changes in target firms' governance structures tend to characterize shareholder activism as a successful tool to improve firm performance. Most of those emphasizing changes in share values, earnings, or operations, in contrast, characterize shareholder activism as having negligible effects on target companies.
Lethal and sublethal effects of three insecticides on two developmental stages of xenopus laevis and comparison with other amphibians

It has been suggested that Xenopus laevis is less sensitive than other amphibians to some chemicals, and therefore, that the Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay-Xenopus (FETAX) may have limited use in risk assessments for other amphibians. However, comparisons are based mostly on results of FETAX, which emphasizes embryos. Larval X. laevis may be more sensitive to chemicals than embryos and may serve as a better life stage in risk assessments. The present study was conducted to determine the lethal and sublethal effects of 3 insecticides (malathion, endosulfan, and α-cypermethrin) on X. laevis embryos and larvae and to compare toxicity of X. laevis with that of other amphibians. All 3 insecticides have different modes of action, and they caused mortality, malformations, and growth inhibition in both developmental stages. Compared with embryos, larvae were more sensitive to endosulfan and α-cypermethrin but not to malathion. Xenopus laevis larvae had low sensitivity to endosulfan, median sensitivity to malathion, and high sensitivity to α-cypermethrin/cypermethrin relative to other larval amphibians. Our results suggest that X. laevis larvae may generate more protective toxicity estimates in risk assessments than embryos. Xenopus laevis may have limited use in evaluating risk of organochlorine insecticides to other amphibians but may provide useful toxicity thresholds for pyrethroid and perhaps organophosphorus insecticides.
Comparison of trypsin inhibitors from several types of corn

Abstract Trypsin inhibitors were isolated from seeds of floury-2 corn, dent corn, and popcorn and found to be similar in physicochemical and immunological properties to the inhibitor that was previously isolated from seeds of opaque-2 corn. Thus, very similar and perhaps identical trypsin inhibitors occur in genetically diverse types of corn. Our results therefore suggest that the differences between the opaque-3 inhibitor and the amino acid sequence reported by Hochstrasser et al. for a trypsin inhibitor from an unspecified type of corn, do not stem from variations in source material.
Cooperating to unlock the voltage-dependent K channel.

Opening the Shaker K channel should be easy. Release the membrane potential that normally holds it closed, and massive stored molecular energies snap it rapidly and inexorably into its open configuration. Unlocking the inner secrets of this voltage-dependent channel's gating mechanism has proven to be much more difficult. An article by Ledwell and Aldrich in this issue has opened that door significantly.
Terminal deletion(4)(q33) in a male infant.

The deletion of 4q31qter is associated with a recognizable “4q- syndrome”. It has been proposed that the much rarer deletion 4q33qter causes a milder phenotypic expression of the 4q- syndrome. We present the second case, the first male, with the latter deletion and compare his clinical features to those of other 4q- patients.
Severe respiratory depression in the obstetric patient after intrathecal meperidine or sufentanil

Abstract Two cases of severe respiratory depression in the obstetric population are presented. The first occurred after intrathecal injection of a modest dose (50 mg) of meperidine. The second followed intrathecal administration of 10 μg of sufentanil after intravenous fentanyl. These cases illustrate the potential gravity of this complication and highlight the need for caution when giving intrathecal opioid following parenteral opioid administration.
The road less traveled: transport of Legionella to the endoplasmic reticulum

Phagosomes containing the bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila are transported to the ER after macrophage internalization. To modulate phagosome transport, Legionella use a specialized secretion system that injects bacterial proteins into eukaryotic cells. This review will focus on recent studies that have identified bacterial proteins and host processes that play a concerted role in transporting Legionella to the ER.
Magnetic resonance image reconstruction from multiple noninteracting receiver coils

A technique is described for the simultaneous acquisition of NMR data using two independent receiver coils surrounding the same region of tissue which enable the acquisition of all data necessary for an image in a reduced number of acquisitions. This results in a 50% reduction in minimum scan time, but potentially the technique may be extended to multiple receivers with a proportionally higher time savings. The algorithm and imaging procedures are described and example images are described which illustrate the reconstruction. Signal to noise and artifacts are discussed.
Genome-wide profiling of DNA methylation and gene expression in Crassostrea gigas male gametes

DNA methylation patterns and functions are variable across invertebrate taxa. In order to provide a better understanding of DNA methylation in the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas), we characterized the genome-wide DNA methylation profile in male gamete cells using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. RNA-Seq analysis was performed to examine the relationship between DNA methylation and transcript expression. Methylation status of over 7.6 million CpG dinucleotides was described with a majority of methylated regions occurring among intragenic regions. Overall, 15% of the CpG dinucleotides were determined to be methylated and the mitochondrial genome lacked DNA methylation. Integrative analysis of DNA methylation and RNA-Seq data revealed a positive association between methylation status, both in gene bodies and putative promoter regions, and expression. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of the distribution of DNA methylation in the oyster male gamete tissue and suggests that DNA methylation is involved in gene regulatory activity.