cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Successful Use of Tunica Vaginalis Grafts for Treatment of Severe Penile Chordee in Children

ABSTRACTPurpose: Prior reports have suggested that tunica vaginalis free grafts for the treatment of chordee are associated with a high failure rate and residual curvature. We reviewed our experience with tunica vaginalis free grafts for the treatment of severe chordee associated with scrotal and perineal hypospadias.Materials and Methods: The records of 25 children with scrotal or perineal hypospadias associated with severe ventral chordee requiring a corporal graft to straighten the phallus treated from 1996 to 2001 were reviewed. Of the cases 5 were reoperative due to prior failed urethroplasty and residual chordee. All patients undergoing primary surgery received testosterone treatment preoperatively. Dermis was used in 3 patients, small intestinal submucosa in 3 and a free graft of tunica vaginalis in the remaining 19. One child had 2 tunica grafts placed at the same setting to correct the chordee.Results: Patient age ranged from 5 months to 16 years (median 8 months). All patients have been followed...
Redirecting plasma and e-beam research at NRL, from death rays to doodads

Summary form only given. Like much of the rest of the plasma physics community, and in fact, like much of scientific research in general, plasma physics at NRL has undergone a redirection from large projects, with payoffs in the distant future; to smaller projects with nearer term payoffs. Generally these newer projects are just as scientifically challenging. The author will discuss the past and future prospects at NRL. He will discuss successful transitions, as well as potential projects that at the outset looked good scientifically, and also marketable, but which still have not been funded. A few comments are given about the largest plasma physics project of all, magnetic fusion.
Hardware and software techniques for controlling DRAM power modes

The anticipated explosive growth of pervasive and mobile computing devices that are typically constrained by energy has brought hardware and software techniques for energy conservation into the spotlight. While there have been several studies and proposals for energy conservation for CPUs and peripherals, energy optimization techniques for selective operating mode control of DRAMs have not been fully explored. It has been shown that, for some systems, as much as 90 percent of overall system energy (excluding I/O) is consumed by the DRAM modules, thus, they serve as a good candidate for energy optimizations. Further, DRAM technology has also matured to provide several low energy operating modes (power modes), making it an opportunistic moment to conduct studies exploring the potential benefits of mode control techniques. This paper conducts an in-depth investigation of software and hardware techniques to take advantage of the DRAM mode control capabilities at a module granularity for energy savings. Using a memory system architecture capturing five different energy modes and corresponding resynchronization times, this paper presents several novel compilation techniques to both cluster the data across memory banks as well as to detect module idleness and perform energy mode transitions. In addition, hardware-assisted approaches (called self-monitoring) based on predictions of module interaccess times are proposed. These techniques are extensively evaluated using a set of a dozen benchmarks. It is shown that we get an average of 61 percent savings in DRAM energy using compiler-directed mode control. One of the self-monitored approaches gives as much as 89 percent savings (72 percent on the average), coming as close as 8.8 percent to the optimal energy savings that one can expect with DRAM module mode control. The optimization techniques are demonstrated to be invaluable for energy savings as memory technologies continue to evolve.
Low ↔ high density transformations in ice

Abstract We have used first-principles variable-cell-shape dynamics to investigate the compressive behavior of ice XI and ice VIII. We have observed direct reconstructions between these prototypical low and high density phases, in both directions. These transformations are not observed in practice, instead both forms amorphize under (de)compression. From this perspective, the amorphous can be viewed as an intermediate step in the low ↔ high density transformations. The reconstruction paths we observe bypass the intermediate amorphous phases and preserve the style of dipole ordering of the parent structure leading to metastable phases and large hystereses.
Increasing ELL Parental Involvement in Our Schools: Learning From the Parents

Engaging parents as advocates for school success in the home is particularly important for English Language Learners (ELL). Tapping into the experiences of ELL parents in their own lives about schooling and literacy is a resource educators can use to increase parental involvement. This article describes the stories of two parents and compares their experiences with schools, their personal views of literacy, and how the home environment might support school literacy and academic success.
Tax-Related Financial Statements Restatements and Auditor-Provided Tax Services

In this study we investigate the association between auditor-provided nonaudit tax services and financial reporting quality for public companies in a post Sarbanes-Oxley environment. We measure the quality of financial reporting by means of appropriately screened financial statement restatements. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 restricts the scope of auditor-provided tax services and simultaneously bans other major nonaudit services by the auditor. We argue that the restriction limits the potential financial reporting quality benefits of nonaudit tax services while the ban simultaneously makes those services a relatively more important source of revenue to the auditor, exacerbating the potential for impairment of independence. Consequently, pre-Sarbanes-Oxley results may not hold in a post-Sarbanes-Oxley environment. Upon examination, we find no significant association between auditor-provided nonaudit tax services and general financial statement restatements. However, we find a significant negative association between such services and tax-related financial statement restatements. Thus, in a post-Sarbanes Oxley environment, the benefits of auditor-provided nonaudit tax services seem to manifest themselves in higher quality tax-related financial statement management assertions.
The Role of Ethnic Loyalty among Mexican Immigrant Women

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of Ethnic Loyalty in a sample of 140 Mexican women who immigrated to the United States at age 14 or older and who have lived in this country for an average of 7.5 years. Using the median of the ethnic loyalty scale as the cut-off point respondents were divided into two groups: High Loyalty and Low Loyalty. Women who remained highly loyal to Mexican culture (High Loyalty) had significantly lower levels of self-esteem and satisfaction and higher levels of acculturative stress than their counterparts who scored lower on the loyalty scale (Low Loyalty). Furthermore, most of the women in the High Loyalty group had plans of returning to Mexico and planned on obtaining only legal residency status rather than U.S. citizenship. Findings of the study suggest that because of the lack of appropriate coping skills to deal with their new environment, immigrant women from Mexico who remain strongly attached to their traditional Mexican culture (High Loyalty) are at highe...
The role of hypothalamic hormones in the control of growth hormone secretion and of growth.

SUMMARY GHRH and somatostatin have major integrative roles in the control of GH secretion. Alterations in the secretion of each hypothalamic hormone have profound effects on GH secretion. On the basis of current information, it appears that disturbances in GHRH secretion provide a most convincing argument for the pathophysiological role of this hypothalamic hormone in clinically recognized disorders of GH secretion. Thus, the potential use of GHRH and its agonists and antagonists in the treatment of patients with both deficient and excessive GH secretion is based on a solid framework of physiological and pathophysiological studies.
A Bayesian game approach to coexistence with malicious and selfish nodes in wireless ad-hoc networks

Mobile Ad-hoc networks are self-organized systems of nodes or installations, all cooperating to provide network functions such as routing and forwarding. Utilized in open environments, mobile ad-hoc networks are vulnerable to attack by malicious nodes, causing harm or disorder. These nodes do not reveal their identities while disrupting service. Thus, early detection is important. The network may also contain selfish nodes, installations that choose to conserve power resources rather than provide network function. Identification of selfish nodes, too, is necessary so that functional nodes do not waste resources attempting to communicate with them. Malicious nodes have the additional strategy to avoid detection by masquerading as regular nodes, providing useful network function at interval. This further complicates the detection process. In this paper we seek to demonstrate that selfish and malicious nodes can be successfully identified through our proposed attacker/defender game.
Brain Elasticity Changes in a Canine Model of Pseudotumor Cerebri

Pseudotumor cerebri is characterized by intracranial hypertension unassociated with a space occupying lesion. The pathophysiology of pseudotumor remains controversial. Evidence of primary involvement of the cerebrovascular bed, the brain parenchyma and the cerebrospinal fluid compartment have been postulated.
Protonation of a glutamate residue modulates the dynamics of the drug transporter EmrE

Secondary active transport proteins play a central role in conferring bacterial multidrug resistance. In this work, we investigated the proton-coupled transport mechanism for the Escherichia coli drug efflux pump EmrE using NMR spectroscopy. Our results show that the global conformational motions necessary for transport are modulated in an allosteric fashion by the protonation state of a membrane-embedded glutamate residue. These observations directly correlate with the resistance phenotype for wild-type EmrE and the E14D mutant as a function of pH. Furthermore, our results support a model in which the pH gradient across the inner membrane of E. coli may be used on a mechanistic level to shift the equilibrium of the transporter in favor of an inward-open resting conformation poised for drug binding.
An Exploratory Study of the Mental Toughness Psychological Skills Profile Psychometrics, and the Mediating Effect of Social Support Sources on Mental Toughness and Suicidal Ideation Among Military Police

Research suggests that social support and mental toughness (i.e., the ability to effectively cope with stress despite adversity and/or failure) may be associated with decreased suicide risk, although methods for measuring mental toughness remain largely undeveloped. The relationship remains largely unknown. In response to this research gap, the psychometric properties of the Mental Toughness Psychological Skills Profile (MTPSP; Asken 2005), and its association with suicide ideation, were evaluated in a sample of active duty U.S. Air Force Security Forces personnel, a subpopulation especially vulnerable to suicide risk. 273 participants from two Air Force bases completed self-report scales including the MTPSP. Results indicated that the MTPSP is comprised of five subscales: Negative Mindset, Positive Mindset, Confidence, Achievement, and Health Behaviors. All five MTPSP factors were independently correlated with general distress, somatic anxiety, positive affect, presence of meaning in life, search for meaning in life, positive self-bias, social support sources, and suicide ideation. The Confidence factor was the only factor that had a significant association with suicide ideation when all five factors were considered simultaneously (β = −0.18, p = .016), but was fully mediated by social support (β = −0.17, p = .033). Self-confidence may be associated with reduced suicide risk because those individuals tend to report higher social support.
A Laboratory Life History of the Consperse Stink Bug, Euschistus conspersus (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

The life history of Euschistus conspersus Uhler was studied in a laboratory maintained at 80°±2°F and 45%±5% RH, illuminated 15 hours per day. Bean pods served as food and paper toweling was utilized for egg deposition. Nymphs were reared individually in shell vials and 1-pint mason jars were used as cages for adults. Males and females did not differ significantly in the length of their developmental periods. Average durations of the several life stages were: egg 6.2 days; total nymphal period 25.6 days; adult male 128.2 days; adult female 75.1 days. The sex ratio was 49 females to 51 males. Females averaged 17.4 pre-oviposition days and 53.4 egg-laying days, and deposited an average of 225 eggs each (maximum 640 eggs). Oviposition and eclosion occurred throughout the 24-hour day, but most of the oviposition took place during the late afternoon and early evening hours.
Crystal structure of anhydrous δ-D-mannitol

The crystal structure of anhydrous δ-D-mannitol (C6H14O6) was solved from high-resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data collected on a mixture containing 20% and 80% w/w of β- and δ-D-mannitol, respectively. The direct space simulated annealing program PSSP, and Rietveld analysis employing GSAS were used to determine and refine the structure. The polymorph has monoclinic symmetry, space group P21 with a=5.089 41(5) A, b=18.2504(2) A, c=4.917 02(5) A, and β=118.303(2)°. There is one molecule in the irreducible volume of the unit cell. The pattern of hydrogen bonding is significantly different than the previously known α and β forms.
The prevalence and influence factors of overweight and obesity in residents of Yunnan province

Objective To study the prevalence character of overweight and obesity in the urban and rural residents(15-69 years old)of Yunnan province and to provide the basis for preventive measures. Methods The subjects(5 120 urban and rural residents)selected with multi-stage stratified sampling were investigated by questionnaire and physical examination. The rates of overweight and obesity were calculated, and the influence factors were analyzed with logistic regression. Results The morbidities of overweight and obesity were 18.2% and 4.4%. There were significant differences of overweight and obesity rates in residents with different characters. Multiple-factor analysis showed that the morbiditiy of overweight and obesity in urban residents was significantly higher than that in rural residents(OR=1.274), the morbiditiy of overweight and obesity in females was significantly higher than that in males(OR=1.203), the morbidities of overweight and obesity in 30-years old group, 45-years old group and60-69 years old group were significantly higher than that in 15-years old group(OR value was 1.795, 2.107 and 1.531,respectively), the overweight and obesity rate in Hui residents was significantly higher than that in Han residents(OR=1.674), the overweight and obesity rates in residents with some jobs(transportation, business service, management, stuff and retirement) were significantly higher than those in residents with other jobs(agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery). Conclusion The overweight and obesity rates in urban and rural residents of Yunnan province are high and there are significant differences in residents with different characters, the intervention measures should be taken for residents with high risk.
Significantly Increasing the Ductility of High Performance Polymer Semiconductors through Polymer Blending

Polymer semiconductors based on donor–acceptor monomers have recently resulted in significant gains in field effect mobility in organic thin film transistors (OTFTs). These polymers incorporate fused aromatic rings and have been designed to have stiff planar backbones, resulting in strong intermolecular interactions, which subsequently result in stiff and brittle films. The complex synthesis typically required for these materials may also result in increased production costs. Thus, the development of methods to improve mechanical plasticity while lowering material consumption during fabrication will significantly improve opportunities for adoption in flexible and stretchable electronics. To achieve these goals, we consider blending a brittle donor–acceptor polymer, poly[4-(4,4-dihexadecyl-4H-cyclopenta[1,2-b:5,4-b′]dithiophen-2-yl)-alt-[1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-c]pyridine] (PCDTPT), with ductile poly(3-hexylthiophene). We found that the ductility of the blend films is significantly improved compared to that ...
Anticoagulant therapy for venous thromboembolism unresolved issues and current recommendations.

Many questions about anticoagulant therapy, such as whether heparin preparations differ in effectiveness, the best method of heparin administration, and optimum duration of therapy, are still unanswered. However, extensive experimental and clinical experience has led to a closer consensus about some aspects of therapy, and morbidity and mortality associated with venous thromboembolism have been reduced.
Hedge Fund vs. Non-Hedge Fund Institutional Ownership and the Book-to-Market Effect

Recent studies show that institutional investors as a whole group are not any different from naive investors in failing to benefit from the book-to-market anomaly. Furthermore, Jiang (2010) illustrates that institutional investors exacerbate the price overreaction contributing to the book-to-market effect. However, we find evidence for a drastic change in hedge funds’ behavior as they change their preferences from growth to value stocks immediately after the book-to-market values of stocks become public knowledge. More importantly, we show that hedge funds detect overpriced growth securities and trade them to their advantage especially when non-hedge funds move aggressively in the opposite direction. This is consistent with Miller (1977) in the sense that hedge funds are the informed investors.
Toward deterministic and semiautomated SPADE analysis

SPADE stands for spanning-tree progression analysis for density-normalized events. It combines downsampling, clustering and a minimum-spanning tree to provide an intuitive visualization of high-dimensional single-cell data, which assists with the interpretation of the cellular heterogeneity underlying the data. SPADE has been widely used for analysis of high-content flow cytometry data and CyTOF data. The downsampling and clustering components of SPADE are both stochastic, which lead to stochasticity in the tree visualization it generates. Running SPADE twice on the same data may generate two different tree structures. Although they typically lead to the same biological interpretation of subpopulations present in the data, robustness of the algorithm can be improved. Another avenue of improvement is the interpretation of the SPADE tree, which involves visual inspection of multiple colored versions of the tree based on expression of measured markers. This is essentially manual gating on the SPADE tree and can benefit from automated algorithms. This article presents improvements of SPADE in both aspects above, leading to a deterministic SPADE algorithm and a software implementation for semiautomated interpretation. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.
A Fully Passive Compressive Sensing SAR ADC for Low-Power Wireless Sensors

The compressive sensing (CS) theory states that the sparsity of a signal can be exploited to reduce the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) conversion rate and save power. However, most previous CS frameworks require dedicated analog CS encoders built by power-hungry active amplifiers, which limit the overall power saving. Differently, this paper proposes a fully passive switched-capacitor-based CS framework that directly embeds CS into a successive-approximation-register (SAR) ADC. The proposed CS-SAR ADC can operate in two modes: the Nyquist mode and the CS mode. In the CS mode, the CS-SAR ADC quantizes the input once every four-time sampling, reducing the conversion rate and the circuit power by four times compared to the Nyquist mode. A prototype chip is fabricated in a 0.13- $\mu \text{m}$ CMOS process. At 0.8 V and 1 MS/s, the chip consumes 19.2 $\mu \text{W}$ in the Nyquist mode and $5\mu \text{W}$ in the CS mode. Discrete-tone signals are converted and reconstructed with a peak signal-to-noise plus distortion ratio (SNDR) of 61 dB and maximum bandwidth occupancy of 8.2%. Speech signals are also used to demonstrate the capability of the chip to compressively sense real-world signals. Compared to prior CS works, it improves the post-reconstruction SNDR by 18 dB and the energy efficiency by 13 times.
Follow-up trends after Emergency Department discharge for acutely symptomatic hernias

Abstract Background Patients frequently present to the Emergency Department (ED) with symptomatic hernias. This study evaluated the outcomes of patients presenting with symptomatic hernias without indication for immediate operation who are discharged for elective repair. Methods A three-year retrospective analysis of patients discharged from the ED with a symptomatic hernia was performed at a university affiliated county referral center. The incidences of ED revisits, clinic follow up and repairs occurring in the elective versus emergency setting were assessed. Results There were 111 patients evaluated and discharged from the ED with a symptomatic hernia where 21% (23) were recurrent and 27% (30) were chronically incarcerated. Of the 111 patients only 23% (26) followed-up in clinic and only 18% (20) underwent hernia repair. However, 25% (28) of all patients required a return visit to the ED and 45% (9) of herniorrhaphies were emergent. Conclusions Discharge and failure of follow-up after an ED visit for a symptomatic hernia leaves many patients at risk for recurrent ED visits and emergent surgery.
Innovative scattering analysis shows that hydrophobic disordered proteins are expanded in water

A substantial fraction of the proteome is intrinsically disordered, and even well-folded proteins adopt non-native geometries during synthesis, folding, transport, and turnover. Characterization of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) is challenging, in part because of a lack of accurate physical models and the difficulty of interpreting experimental results. We have developed a general method to extract the dimensions and solvent quality (self-interactions) of IDPs from a single small-angle x-ray scattering measurement. We applied this procedure to a variety of IDPs and found that even IDPs with low net charge and high hydrophobicity remain highly expanded in water, contrary to the general expectation that protein-like sequences collapse in water. Our results suggest that the unfolded state of most foldable sequences is expanded; we conjecture that this property was selected by evolution to minimize misfolding and aggregation.
IR workflow management system using Web of Science and RefWorks

Published in: (2012). Innovation Fair Abstracts, SPARC 2012 Open Access Meeting. Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication 1(1):eP1042. http://dx.doi.org/10.7710/2162-3309.1042
The dark side to Donovanosis: color, climate, race and racism in American South venereology.

Medical experimentation on humans with “classic” sexually transmitted diseases (e.g., syphilis, gonorrhea) is not generally well known, but experimentation with others such as Granuloma inguinale, or Donovanosis, is even less so. Endemic to non-existent here, hyper-epidemic there, between 1880 and 1950 Donovanosis was linguistically and morally “constructed” as a disease of poor, sexually profligate, tropical, darkly-skinned persons. It was also experimentally produced on and in African-American patients in many charity hospitals in the American South. This essay analyzes Donovanosis literature of the period that heavily featured skin color, climate and tropicality, venereal sin, and racial susceptibility. It then recounts the history of human experimentation with it, and explains both its linguistic construction and its biomedical experimental history in terms of “disease narratives” produced not only by but for venereologists.
Health Care Reform: What Has Been Accomplished What Comes Next

Enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 marked the most important accomplishment in U.S. health care reform in decades. Not since Medicare and Medicaid were passed in 1965 have so many Americans been given access to insurance coverage for their health care. Though the goal of universal health care was not achieved, ACA brought coverage to millions of uninsured Americans and provided assurance to the already-insured that if they lost their insurance through job loss or job change, they could turn to an expanded Medicaid program or a government-subsidized insurance policy for affordable coverage. But while ACA has had a major impact on the U.S. health care system, its promise has been limited by its design. Rather than replacing the U.S. system with a more effective, less costly, and politically sustainable model, lawmakers decided to build on top of an inefficient, expensive, and politically insecure, existing model. A health care system that rested on a shaky foundation now has to carry more weight and that makes for an unstable future. Indeed, we are already starting to see some unraveling of ACA. For ACA to achieve its goals in a durable fashion, it should be replaced by a health care program that provides the same kind of health care coverage for all Americans rather than relying on a system that mixes employer-based insurance with individually-purchased private insurance and government-provided coverage.
Transition-metal solvated-electron precursors: diffuse and 3d electrons in V(NH3)0,±6

Ground and excited electronic states of V(NH3)0,±6 complexes, investigated with ab initio electronic structure theory, consist of a V(NH3)62+ core with up to three electrons distributed over its periphery. This result extends the concept of super-atomic, solvated-electron precursors from alkali and alkaline-earth complexes to a transition metal. In the approximately octahedral ground state of V(NH3)6, three unpaired electrons occupy 3dxz, 3dyz and 3dxy (t2g) orbitals of vanadium and two electrons occupy a diffuse 1s outer orbital. The lowest excitations involve promotion of diffuse 1s electrons to 1p or 1d diffuse orbitals, followed by a 3d (t2g → eg) transition. V(NH3)6+ is produced by removing a diffuse 1s electron, whereas the additional electron in V(NH3)6- populates a 1p diffuse orbital. The adiabatic ionization energy and electron affinity of V(NH3)6 equal 3.50 and 0.48 eV, respectively.
Oral lipoic acid as a treatment for acute optic neuritis: a blinded, placebo controlled randomized trial.

BackgroundLipoic acid, an antioxidant, has beneficial effects in experimental acute optic neuritis and autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Optical coherence tomography can detect retinal nerve fiber laye...
The role of postradiation temozolomide in patients with newly diagnosed MGMT methylated glioblastoma.

e13530Background: Standard therapy for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM) includes concurrent temozolomide (TMZ) and radiation (RT) followed by six monthly cycles of adjuvant TMZ. Alt...
Parental Assistance in Orientation and Mobility Instruction.

Parents of blind children can give important support to the professional orientation and mobility specialist, especially if they familiarize themselves with the various aspects of an orientation an...
Underground Mine Air and Strata Temperature Change Due to the Use of Refuge Alternatives

Heat and humidity buildup withn refuge alternatives (RAs) may expose occupants to physiological hazards such as heat stress. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regulations require RAs in underground coal mines to provide a life-sustaining environment for miners trapped underground when escape is impossible. RAs are required to sustain life for 96 h while maintaining an apparent temperature (AT) below 95 °F (35 °C). The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) tested a 10-person tent-type RA, a 23-person tent-type RA, and a 6-person metal-type RA in its underground coal mine facilities to investigate the thermal environment over a 96-h period. The test results showed that mine air and mine strata temperatures surrounding an RA occupied by simulated miners (SMs) increased over the 96-h test period. The test results suggest that RA manufacturers should consider this increase in temperatures when calculating and evaluating RA components during surface and laboratory tests. The findings can equip stakeholders with additional considerations for calculating the interior heat and humidity temperature profiles for occupied RAs not tested in situ.
A Machine Learning Based 3D Propagation Model for Intelligent Future Cellular Networks

In modern wireless communication systems, radio propagation modeling has always been a fundamental task in system design and performance optimization. These models are used in cellular networks and other radio systems to estimate the pathloss or the received signal strength (RSS) at the receiver or characterize the environment traversed by the signal. An accurate and agile estimation of pathloss is imperative for achieving desired optimization objectives. The state-of-the- art empirical propagation models are based on measurements in a specific environment and limited in their ability to capture idiosyncrasies of various propagation environments. To cope with this problem, ray-tracing based solutions are used in commercial planning tools, but they tend to be extremely time consuming and expensive. In this paper, we propose a Machine Learning (ML) based approach to complement the empirical or ray tracing-based models, for radio wave propagation modeling and RSS estimation. The proposed ML-based model leverages a pre-identified set of smart predictors, including transmitter parameters and the physical and geometric characteristics of the propagation environment, for estimating the RSS. These smart predictors are readily available at the network-side and need no further standardization. We have quantitatively compared the performance of several machine learning algorithms in their ability to capture the channel characteristics, even with sparse availability of training data. Our results show that Deep Neural Networks outperforms other ML techniques and provides a 25% increase in prediction accuracy as compared to state-of-the-art empirical models and a 12x decrease in prediction time as compared to ray tracing.
Long-Term Infectious and Noninfectious Outcomes of Monthly Alemtuzumab as a Calcineurin Inhibitor- And Steroid-Free Regimen for Pancreas Transplant Recipients

Multiple doses of alemtuzumab for immunosuppressive therapy of patients with hematologic malignancies and hematopoietic stem cell transplant have been associated with a high rate of infection. In transplantation, limited alemtuzumab dosing has been successfully used as induction immunosuppression. The effect of multiple doses of alemtuzumab, used as maintenance therapy to minimize steroid and/or calcineurin inhibitor toxicity in solid organ transplant recipients, is unknown. We evaluated the infectious and noninfectious outcomes of 179 pancreas transplant recipients treated with alemtuzumab for induction and maintenance therapy (extended alemtuzumab exposure (EAE)) from 2/28/2003 through 8/31/2005, compared with 159 pancreas transplant recipients with standard induction and maintenance (SIM) therapy performed before (1/1/2002 until 12/31/2002) and after (1/1/2006 until 12/31/2006) the implementation of EAE. EAE was associated with higher risk of overall infections (hazard ratio (HR) 1.33 (1.06-1.66), P=0.01), bacterial infections (HR 1.33 (1.05-1.67), P=0.02), fungal infections (HR 1.86 (1.28-2.71), P < 0.01), and cytomegalovirus infections (HR 2.29 (1.39-3.77), P < 0.01). In addition, EAE was associated with higher risk of acute cellular rejection (HR 2.09 (1.46-2.99), P < 0.01). In conclusion, while a limited alemtuzumab dosing is safe and effective for induction therapy in pancreas transplantation, EAE combined with steroid and calcineurin minimization is associated with a high risk of infectious complications and acute cellular rejection.
A RELAP5-3D/LSTM model for the analysis of drywell cooling fan failure

Abstract A RELAP5-3D/LSTM model was created to analyze the failures of two drywell cooling fans at a nuclear power plant. A total of four fan coil units (FCUs) each comprised of a water-cooled heat exchanger and a centrifugal fan located in the drywell provide cooling via a closed nitrogen loop to the primary containment of the boiling water reactor. A Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP5-3D) thermal hydraulic model was created to simulate the steady-state normal operation of the FCUs. Historical data from the plant Process Information (PI) system was synchronized in time for a total of 33 Plant Management Information System (PMIS) tags per FCU representing: (1) the temperatures at various locations within the drywell, (2) inlet, outlet, and dewpoint temperatures at the FCUs, (3) reactor power, and (4) water coolant flowrate and temperature. Because the inlet temperature sensor for the two fans that failed did not provide consistent data prior to the failures, a long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network was trained to predict the FCU inlet temperature history based upon the states of the other valid PMIS points. RELAP5-3D simulations were performed using the measured FCU inlet temperatures, as well as the LSTM-generated temperatures, and the resulting FCU outlet temperatures were compared. The simulation results using the measured and predicted FCU inlet temperature were shown to be within 7.35% and 5.16%, respectively, of the values reported by the PI system. Thus, a viable approach has been demonstrated to predict the expected FCU outlet temperature. By comparing real-time measurements of FCU outlet temperature with predictions such as those presented here, off-normal operation can be readily detected. The use of RELAP5-3D with the LSTM results was successfully implemented to prototype a physics-based anomaly detection model for the drywell FCUs.
Meteotsunami model forecast: can coastal hazard be quantified in real time?

A modeling study has been conducted to simulate the June 13, 2013 U.S. East Coast meteotsunami event as a test of the model forecast concept. A numerical simulation based on the MOST (Method of Splitting Tsunami) model was employed for the meteotsunami propagation forecast, while the weather radar reflection imagery was used to simulate real-time input data for the atmospheric pressure-induced tsunami generation. The model tsunami was generated by a moving pressure field during 2.87 h of forcing, and the resultant tsunami was then simulated for additional 5.68 h of propagation without any forcing for a total of 8.55 h of meteotsunami evolution from generation to coastal impact. Simulated time series were compared with the measurements from sea-level coastal gages and the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting for Tsunami (DART) data. The model is able to reproduce in general the recorded sea-level changes in the deep ocean and at the coast in terms of arrival times and amplitudes. The model was able to predict coastal tsunami impacts that occurred from one to two hours after the model data assimilation phase ended. Therefore, this approach shows promise for developing meteotsunami model forecast capability based on measurements and data assimilation in real time, at least for meteotsunamis generated by fast-moving weather systems visible on radar reflection imagery. All the data used in this study are already available in real time, the MOST model is already implemented as a seismically generated tsunami forecast model at the Tsunami Warning Centers (TWCs), which makes transition of potential meteotsunami forecast capability to warning operations straightforward.
What is Being Reported About Vaginal "Lasers"?: An Examination of Adverse Events Reported to the Food and Drug Administration on Energy-Based Devices.

BACKGROUND Description of energy-based genitourinary non-surgical devices (energy-based devices) safety data is outlined given their rapid adoption. OBJECTIVES To describe adverse events (AEs) for energy-based devices in the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database, and to compare to similar devices and other subspecialty applications. We hypothesized that products with genitourinary applications had similar AEs to dermatologic or general surgery applications. METHODS Reed Tech™ Navigator compiled AE reports for all registered energy-based devices. Individual AE reports associated with 1) non-ablative, 2) fractionated, 3) unfractionated 4) radiofrequency, and 5) hybrid laser technologies were categorized. AE characteristics were compared among genitourinary applications (n=39) and other subspecialty applications within the same devices (n=79). RESULTS Eighteen manufacturers were identified, which collectively manufacture 43 products with genitourinary applications. Thirty-nine genitourinary AEs were reported and isolated to 6 manufacturers with 11 products, of which 82% (n=32) were injuries, 15% (n=6) were device malfunction, and 3% (n=1) related to improper maintenance. Local treatment reactions were the most commonly reported injury (62%, n=21). AEs varied by device type with CO2 lasers having more burns and radiofrequency devices having higher rates of sensation loss. When comparing similar technology types, genitourinary energy-based devices had the least AE reports per device in MAUDE database. CONCLUSIONS AEs were reported on a quarter of the products currently available, and most were local treatment reactions. The reporting of AEs is equal to that of other subspecialties suggesting similar risk profiles. Improved reporting is needed to fully evaluate the safety of individual energy-based devices.
VidQ: Video Query Using Optimized Audio-Visual Processing

As the amount of recorded and stored videos on mobile devices increase, efficient techniques for searching video content become more and more important, especially for applications like searching for the moment of crime or other specific actions. When a user sends a query searching for a specific action in a large amount of data, the goal is to respond to the query accurately and fast. In this paper, we address the problem of responding to queries which search for specific actions in mobile devices in a timely manner by utilizing both visual and audio content processing approaches. We build a system, called VidQ, which consists of several stages and uses various Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Speech APIs to respond to such queries. As the state-of-the-art computer vision and speech algorithms are computationally intensive, we use servers with GPUs to assist mobile users in the process. After a query has been issued, we identify the possible different stages of processing that will take place. This is followed by identifying the order of these stages that build up the system. Finally, we distribute the process among the available network resources to further improve the performance by minimizing the processing time. Results show that VidQ reduces the completion time by at least 50% compared to other approaches.
Nausea, vomiting, and lower abdominal pain.

A77-year-old woman presented to the emergency department because of nausea, vomiting, and lower abdominal pain for 2 days. Physical examination revealed an elderly, cachetic female with abdominal distension. Computed tomography (CT) images are shown below (Figures ​(Figures11–4). Figure 1 CT image demonstrates a segment of markedly dilated small bowel (arrow). This image is 1.5 cm superior to the image in Figure ​Figure22. Figure 4 CT image demonstrating (along with Figure ​Figure33) the etiology of the small-bowel obstruction. Can you make the correct diagnosis? For diagnosis and discussion, see the following page. DIAGNOSIS: Incarcerated obturator hernia producing small-bowel obstruction.
A distributed routing scheme for networks of the future

A dynamic multipath routing scheme for homogeneous high-speed networks is proposed. The fundamental objective is to bridge the gap between routing and congestion control as the network becomes congested. Because propagation delay far outshadows queuing and transmission delay in high-speed networks, the proposed routing scheme works as a shortest path (minimum delay) first algorithm under a light traffic condition. However as the shortest path becomes congested, the source node uses multiple paths when and if available in order to distribute the load and reduce packet loss. This results in a more efficient use of the network facility and near-optimal flow assignment. The routing algorithm incorporates an update mechanism that uses information obtained from the call setup procedure in the switch, as well as real-time measurements. >
Assay for the enzymatic conversion of indoleacetic acid to 3-methylindole in a ruminal Lactobacillus species.

Abstract An assay to measure the rate of enzymatic formation of 3-methylindole (3MI) from indoleacetic acid (IAA) in Lactobacillus sp. strain 11201 was developed. The reaction mixture contained 50 micrograms of microbial protein per ml (range, 25 to 100 mg/ml), essential low-molecular-weight reaction ingredients, and radiolabeled IAA as substrate (range, 0 to 2 mM IAA). The reaction was anaerobic for 25 min at 39 degrees C. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constants were: Km, 0.14 mM IAA; and Vmax, 64 nmol 3MI.mg-1.min-1. The inhibitors avidin, aminopterin, and EDTA had no effect on the 3MI-forming enzyme. Dithionite stimulated the 3MI-forming enzyme. The product of the reaction, 3MI, acted as a noncompetitive inhibitor of the enzyme. Enzyme activity was associated with the cell wall fraction after sonication; treatment with the French press; or treatment with detergents, proteolytic enzymes, and EDTA.
Structural analysis of the temperature-sensitive mutant of bacteriophage T4 lysozyme, glycine 156----aspartic acid.

Abstract The structure of the mutant of bacteriophage T4 lysozyme in which Gly-156 is replaced by aspartic acid is described. The lysozyme was isolated by screening for temperature-sensitive mutants and has a melting temperature at pH 6.5 that is 6.1 degrees C lower than wild type. The mutant structure is destabilized, in part, because Gly-156 has conformational angles (phi, psi) that are not optimal for a residue with a beta-carbon. High resolution crystallographic refinement of the mutant structure (R = 17.7% at 1.7 A resolution) shows that the Gly----Asp substitution does not significantly alter the configurational angles (phi, psi) but forces the backbone to move, as a whole, approximately 0.6 A away from its position in wild-type lysozyme. This induced strain weakens a hydrogen bond network that exists in the wild-type structure and also contributes to the reduced stability of the mutant lysozyme. The introduction of an acidic side chain reduces the overall charge on the molecule and thereby tends to increase the stability of the mutant structure relative to wild type. However, at neutral pH this generalized electrostatic stabilization is offset by specific electrostatic repulsion between Asp-156 and Asp-92. The activity of the mutant lysozyme is approximately 50% that of wild-type lysozyme. This reduction in activity might be due to introduction of a negative charge and/or perturbation of the surface of the molecule in the region that is assumed to interact with peptidoglycan substrates.
Information, Imagination, and the High School Library.

1. Due to teacher strikes and a lack of funds, literally thousands of classroom teachers were out on strike at the beginning of the 1978-79 school year in such cities as Cleveland, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Pontiac, Michigan, etc. 2. The count now stands at thirty-five states which are requiring minimum competencies for promotion from grade to grade or graduation from high school or both. 3. H. B. Pinkney, "The Rhetoric Goes On," NASSPBulletin, March, 1975, p. 47. 4. Frank E. Armbruster, "The More We Spend, The Less Children Learn," The New York Times Magazine, August 28, 1977, pp. 9-10. 5. Robert L. Ebel, "The Case for Minimum Competency Testing,"Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 59, No. 8, April 1978, p. 546. 6. Martin Hawkins, "A New Look at the High School Diploma," NASSP Bulletin, October, 1978, p. 45. 7. Marylyn Huff, "A Board Member Looks at Requiring Competencies for Graduation," Educational Leadership, Vol, 35, No. 2, November, 1977, p. 112. 8. H. B. Pinkney, "Decentralization and Staff Development," in Staff Development: Staff Liberation, ed. Charles W. Beegle and Roy A. Edelfelt, ASCD, Washington, D.C., p. 109, 9. Robert L. Ebel, "The Case for Minimum Competency Testing,"Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 59, No. 8, April 1978, p. 549.
Intestinal Monocyte-Derived Macrophages Control Commensal-Specific Th17 Responses

Generation of different CD4 T cell responses to commensal and pathogenic bacteria is crucial for maintaining a healthy gut environment, but the associated cellular mechanisms are poorly understood. Dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages (Mfs) integrate microbial signals and direct adaptive immunity. Although the role of DCs in initiating T cell responses is well appreciated, how Mfs contribute to the generation of CD4 T cell responses to intestinal microbes is unclear. Th17 cells are critical for mucosal immune protection and at steady state are induced by commensal bacteria, such as segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB). Here, we examined the roles of mucosal DCs and Mfs in Th17 induction by SFB in vivo. We show that Mfs, and not conventional CD103(+) DCs, are essential for the generation of SFB-specific Th17 responses. Thus, Mfs drive mucosal T cell responses to certain commensal bacteria.
Asynchronous DNA Replication and Origin Licensing in the Mouse One Cell Embryo

To prevent duplicate DNA synthesis, metazoan replication origins are licensed during G1. Only licensed origins can initiate replication, and the cytoplasm interacts with the nucleus to inhibit new licensing during S phase. DNA replication in the mammalian one-cell embryo is unique because it occurs in two separate pronuclei within the same cytoplasm. Here, we first tested how long after activation the oocyte can continue to support licensing. Because sperm chromatin is licensed de novo after fertilization, the timing of sperm injection can be used to assay licensing initiation. To experimentally skip some of the steps of sperm decondensation, we injected mouse sperm halos into parthenogenetically activated oocytes. We found that de novo licensing was possible for up to 3 h after oocyte activation, and as early as 4 h before DNA replication began. We also found that the oocyte cytoplasm could support asynchronous initiation of DNA synthesis in the two pronuclei with a difference of at least 2 h. We next tested how tightly the oocyte cytoplasm regulates DNA synthesis by transferring paternal pronuclei from zygotes generated by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) into parthenogenetically activated oocytes. The pronuclei from G1 phase zygotes transferred into S phase ooplasm were not induced to prematurely replicate and paternal pronuclei from S phase zygotes transferred into G phase ooplasm continued replication. These data suggest that the one-cell embryo can be an important model for understanding the regulation of DNA synthesis.