cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optical response of thin amorphous films to infrared radiation

We briefly review the electrical-optical response of materials to radiative forcing within the formalism of the Kramers-Kronig relations. A commensurate set of criteria is described that must be met by any frequency-domain model representing the time-domain response of a real (i.e., physically possible) material. The criteria are applied to the Brendel-Bormann (BB) oscillator, a model that was originally introduced for its fidelity at reproducing the non-Lorentzian peak broadening experimentally observed in the infrared absorption by thin amorphous films but has since been used for many other common materials. We show that the BB model fails to satisfy the established physical criteria. Taking an alternative approach to the model derivation, a physically consistent model is proposed. This model provides the appropriate line-shape broadening for modeling the infrared optical response of thin amorphous films while adhering strictly to the Kramers-Kronig criteria. Experimental data for amorphous alumina (${\mathrm{Al}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$) and amorphous quartz silica (${\mathrm{SiO}}_{2}$) are used to obtain model parametrizations for both the noncausal BB model and the proposed causal model. The proposed model satisfies consistency criteria required by the underlying physics and reproduces the experimental data with better fidelity (and often with fewer parameters) than previously proposed permittivity models.
African Marxist discourses on the cusp of “globalization”: a preliminary review

Founded in 1974, the Review of African Political Economy, ROAPE, represented a focused attempt at “devising…strategy for Africa's revolution” and provided a forum for various discussions among Afri...
Infections due to achromobacter xylosoxidans. Case report and review of the literature

Achromobacter xylosoxidans is an uncommon nosocomial pathogen known to cause many serious infections. A 69-year-old woman with diabetes mellitus and chronic renal failure was admitted with pulmonary edema. The patient developed fever and pulmonary infiltrate with bilateral pleural effusions while she was on a respirator in the intensive care unit. Culture of sputum, pleural fluid and blood grewA. xylosoxidans. Bilateral chest tubes were inserted and the patient was treated for one month with piperacillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Gradual response, both clinically and radiologically, was noted after prolonged therapy. A review of the literature on infections due toA. xylosoxidans, the unique susceptibility pattern of the organism to various antibiotics and the use of combination therapy inAchromobacter infections are discussed.
Case 38: Retropharyngeal Abscess

A 1-year-old girl (18 lbs.) presents with an acute retropharyngeal abscess. The child has great difficulty in swallowing. She is able to maintain a reasonable airway by holding her head in full extension with her mouth wide open (oxygen saturation 96 % on room air). Her history is unremarkable. The family history is negative for anesthesia-related complications. The patient is receiving a cephalosporin IV. Monitors are placed in the operating room. The child is very worried and will not let you examine her mouth. Fiber-optic intubation is not an option. An experienced Ear, Nose, Throat (ENT) surgeon is available with a tracheostomy set. Because the patient has her mouth wide open, you can see the uvula. She is allowed to sit forward resting her elbows on a Mayo stand. After preoxygenation for 3 min in the sitting position, a rapid-sequence induction with thiopental (25 mg) and succinylcholine (15 mg) is performed. The vocal cords are not seen due to severe swelling of the oropharynx. Despite this, you safely place a 4-mm internal diameter (i.d.) endotracheal tube (ETT) in the trachea. Anesthesia is maintained with fentanyl and sevoflurane in nitrous oxide (70 %) in oxygen. A fluctuating mass is seen bulging forward from the posterior pharyngeal wall. The abscess is incised and drained. The surgeon insists that he has made the oropharynx space larger and, hence, it is safe to extubate the patient. You are concerned and would rather leave the ETT in overnight. You state that although you got the ETT in at the start of the procedure, you may not be able to do it again if it should prove necessary. The surgeon insists that you attempt to extubate the patient. You let the cuff down and the patient can breathe around the tube.
Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation from Partially HLA-Mismatched (HLA-Haploidentical) Related Donors

Human Leukocyte Antigen-haploidentical stem cell transplantation, or HLA-haploidentical SCT, refers to the transplantation of blood or marrow from a donor into a recipient who is genotypically identical for one HLA haplotype and is variably mismatched for HLA alleles on the unshared haplotype. Typically, donors for HLA-haploidentical SCT are first-degree relatives, such as siblings, biological parents, or biological children, although aunts, uncles, cousins, and half-siblings may be HLA-haploidentical to the recipient. As compared to blood or marrow transplantation from an HLA-matched sibling, a distinguishing feature of HLA-haploidentical, or partially mismatched related donor (PMRD), SCT is intense, bidirectional T cell-mediated alloreactivity resulting in increased risks of graft failure, severe graft-versus-host disease, and nonrelapse mortality (NRM) [1-3]. The poor results of early trials of HLA-haploidentical SCT have motivated strategies to mitigate alloreactivity by depleting T cells from both the host and from the graft. While these strategies have reduced the risks of graft failure and GVHD, respectively, they have led to a compensatory increase in the risk of severe infectious complications from prolonged immunodeficiency, and possibly to an increased risk of disease relapse. More recent efforts have focused upon selective depletion of alloreactive T cells to enhance immune reconstitution without risking severe GVHD. Advances in the control of alloreactivity and in supportive care have combined to improve the results of HLA-haploidentical SCT.
A Closed Form Solution for Single Sample Acceptance Sampling Plans

A normal approximation to the binomial distribution developed by Borges with error team of order 1/n is utilized to find the sample size and acceptance number in a single sample acceptance sampling plan when two points on the operating characteristic (O..
Multiple Perspectives: Evaluating Healthcare Information Systems in Collaborative Environments

Evaluating information systems used in teams requires researchers to understand not only the technical aspects of the system but also the work and interactions of team members who use the system. Researchers using methods such as grounded theory combined with qualitative data collection techniques of observations, interviews, and artifact collection have gained tremendous insight into technology use in teams. Yet, there is still much work to be done. To ensure that information systems effectively support collaboration in teams, we must rigorously evaluate these systems using methods appropriate to studying teams in the healthcare setting.
Failure stress comparison of different pairings of Ag-plating and reflow-oven-processed pressureless-sintered-Ag interconnects

Sintered-silver is a candidate material to supplant solders for interconnects in power electronic packaging for many reasons including its desirably high electrical and thermal conductivities and compliance to Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) guidelines. The shear failure stress of interconnects though is limited by whatever constituent is the weakest, and that includes any employed plating. In the present study, silver-platings were processed electrolytically, electrolessly, and through sputter deposition and their influence on the entire “interconnect system” shear strength was examined. Test sets employing gold plating and no plating were included for comparison and to aid interpretation. Ambient-air, reflow-oven-processed, pressureless-sintered-silver interconnects were identically fabricated with all plating test sets. It was found that all considered silver-plating methods produced consistently strong (characteristic failure stresses > 55 MPa) sintered-silver interconnects. Because failures tended to be adhesive in all six sets, differences in failure stress among the silver-plated sets and the gold-plated or unplated sets were likely due to differences in the adhesive strength of the sintered silver with silver-plating, gold-plating, or direct bonding with copper.
A COMPARISON OF COOLING PERFORMANCES OF FARM BULK MILK TANKS1 2

Milk temperatures in 35 ice-bank and 23 direct-expansion (58 total) farm bulk milk tanks of atmospheric design were measured during the summers of 1958 and 1960. Additional information was obtained...
A Low-Cost Slice Interleaving DSC Decoder Architecture for Real-Time 8K Video Decoding

High resolution and high frame rate video including 4K and 8K is increasingly popular, however its real-time decoding using H.264 and HEVC is challenging due to its high hardware computational cost and large memory requirement. In contrast, the Display Stream Compression (DSC) video decoder requires much smaller hardware and easily supports very high pixel rates. We present a low-cost DSC decoder utilizing a slice interleaving architecture, as well as four designs that utilize the architecture implemented and synthesized in a 28 nm CMOS standard cell process. The designs are able to perform real-time decoding at frame rates up to 94–107 frames per second (fps) for 8K UHD and 376–430 fps for 4K UHD, both in 4:4:4 mode with a throughput of 3 pixels per clock cycle. The frame rates are doubled in native 4:2:2 and 4:2:0 modes. The designs have gate counts of 161K–282K in minimum-sized NAND2 equivalent gates and main memory of 36.9KB–54.7KB to support 8K UHD.
Disseminated Histoplasmosis as an AIDS-Defining Illness Presenting as Fever of Unknown Origin in an 11-Year-Old Female

A previously healthy 11-year-old female, who emigrated from Central America four years prior, was admitted with eight days of fever, night sweats, and anorexia. Past medical history included severe bronchiolitis, varicella, and hepatitis A as a child. Upon admission, her physical exam was significant for nontender cervical lymphadenopathy, intermittent erythematous papules on the upper extremities, and mild abdominal tenderness. Initial laboratory studies revealed leukopenia, anemia, elevated inflammatory markers, and antibodies to HIV-1 in the patient’s serum and cerebrospinal fluid. Computed tomography scan was remarkable for many small nodules throughout the lungs and widespread lymphadenopathy. Additional testing confirmed the diagnosis of HIV/AIDS with a CD4 count of 52 cells/mm3, complicated by disseminated histoplasmosis. This case is significant because it represents a late presentation of vertically transmitted HIV with disseminated histoplasmosis in a nonendemic region as the AIDS-defining illness. This highlights the importance of maintaining a broad differential for opportunistic infections, especially among those who have spent a significant amount of time in a country where unusual pathogens may be more common. This case also considers the utility of antigen testing as a sensitive diagnostic test in immunocompromised patients.
Two-Way Backscatter Communication Tag Using a Reflection Amplifier

We propose a two-way backscatter tag that uses a reflection amplifier. The reflection gain ${S_{11}}$ is used to modulate the backscatter signal while the forward gain ${S_{21}}$ is fixed. The circuit is analyzed and designed to operate at 2.45 GHz with the bandwidth of 120 MHz. Measurements show that we can have ${S_{11}\approx }20$ and −20 dB to implement ON/OFF keying (OOK) backscatter modulation scheme, while ${S_{21}\approx }15$ dB.
Rapid miniaturized chromatography procedures for iodinated monoclonal antibodies: comparison to gel exclusion chromatography

Chromatographic quality control testing of radioiodinated monoclonal antibodies (/sup 131/I MOAB) is necessary to assess radiochemical purity prior to patient injection. Conventional gel exclusion chromatography column scanning (GCS) is time consuming and not practical. The authors investigated rapid miniaturized chromatographic procedures for evaluating the radiochemical purity of /sup 131/I MOAB. Three systems were evaluated using Gelman ITLC-SG and three solvents: acetone, 85% methanol, and 0.9% NaCl. Radiochemical analysis was performed on Na/sup 131/I of high radiochemical purity and Na/sup 131/I containing radiochemical impurities, as well as three /sup 131/I MOAB preparations. Five separate measurements were obtained for each preparation and solvent, and the results were compared to GCS. The results demonstrated ITLC-SG and 0.9% NaCl was most accurate in assessing radiochemical purity when compared to GCS. With the ITLC-SG and acetone system, and to a lesser degree, the ITLC-SG and 85% methanol system, no separation between /sup 131/I iodate/periodate and /sup 131/I MOAB was achieved, resulting in some instances in the overestimation of the radiochemical purity of the /sup 131/I MOAB.
Natural language processing of Reddit data to evaluate dermatology patient experiences and therapeutics.

Background There is a lack of research studying patient-generated data on Reddit, one of the world's most popular forums with active users interested in dermatology. Techniques within natural language processing, a field of artificial intelligence, can analyze large amounts of text information and extract insights. Objective To apply natural language processing to Reddit comments about dermatology topics to assess for feasibility and potential for insights and engagement. Methods A software pipeline preprocessed Reddit comments from 2005 to 2017 from 7 popular dermatology-related subforums on Reddit, applied latent Dirichlet allocation, and used spectral clustering to establish cohesive themes and the frequency of word representation and grouped terms within these topics. Results We created a corpus of 176,000 comments and identified trends in patient engagement in spaces such as eczema and acne, among others, with a focus on homeopathic treatments and isotretinoin. Limitations Latent Dirichlet allocation is an unsupervised model, meaning there is no ground truth to which the model output can be compared. However, because these forums are anonymous, there seems little incentive for patients to be dishonest. Conclusions Reddit data has viability and utility for dermatologic research and engagement with the public, especially for common dermatology topics such as tanning, acne, and psoriasis.
Higher-order Darboux transformations for the massless Dirac equation at zero energy

We construct higher-order Darboux transformations for the two-dimensional massless Dirac equation at zero energy. Both standard and confluent transformations are applicable. Our construction is based on a higher-order extension of the Darboux transformation for Schrodinger equations with quadratically energy-dependent potentials [J. Lin et al., Phys. Lett. A 362, 212 (2007)].We construct higher-order Darboux transformations for the two-dimensional massless Dirac equation at zero energy. Both standard and confluent transformations are applicable. Our construction is based on a higher-order extension of the Darboux transformation for Schrodinger equations with quadratically energy-dependent potentials [J. Lin et al., Phys. Lett. A 362, 212 (2007)].
Mental Workload Classification via Hierarchical Latent Dictionary Learning: A Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Study

Variations in the brain's blood oxygenation and deoxygenation reflect neuronal activation patterns, and can be measured using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We aim to utilize fNIRS to obtain insights into the dynamic functional connectivity of the brain as a function of the mental workload. Interpreting connectivity in the brain using noisy fNIRS data with low signal to noise ratio is challenging. To overcome the challenges with fNIRS data, we use a hierarchical latent dictionary learning approach. This approach provides covariance matrices to obtain the dynamic functional connectivity and neuronal activation patterns that change over time. We use features from the dynamic functional connectivity of the brain reflected in fNIRS data collected from the prefrontal cortex to investigate mental workload. In particular, we study three types of mental workload tasks called n-back tasks and perform binary classification for each n-back task compared to the other n-back tasks and rest condition using support vector machines. The results of our binary classification of various n-back tasks compared to the rest condition outperforms binary classification results reported previously.
RoboGraphics: Using Mobile Robots to Create Dynamic Tactile Graphics

Tactile graphics are a common way to present information to people with vision impairments. Tactile graphics can be used to explore a broad range of content including presenting data, telling stories, and conveying map information, but aren't well suited to representing dynamic or moving information. We introduce and demonstrate a new approach RoboGraphics for creating dynamic tactile graphics by combining static tactile overlays, touch screen tablets, and off-the-shelf tangible robots. To evaluate the RoboGraphics approach for conveying information to blind users, we created a set of reference applications, including an interface for exploring graph data, braille characters, the story of the tortoise and the hare, the analog clock, and the ruminant digestive process. A design probe demonstrated that haptic graphics can be used to help people with vision impairments explore data using the audio-tactile display.
The risk-benefit ratio of studying psychiatric symptoms via daily diary methods.

ABSTRACTEthics committee members and researchers have deliberated about the risk-benefit ratio of researching sensitive issues such as psychiatric symptoms. Although research has suggested that inq...
Evaluation of The Role of Development Strategy in Growth of Operating Profit On the Example of SemiFinished Food Production Enterprise

It is very important to evaluate how well the implementation process of the strategy a company has chosen is going. To make such evaluations it is important to Analyse customer relations, Study how well internal business processes are organized, Evaluate growth and development perspectives and Analyse and summarise financial results. In this article we will pay attention on financial results, in particular the analysis of changes in operating income. Three factors which cause changes to profit while implementing the strategy are: volume, prices and productivity. In Our opinion, using the method mentioned in this article, it becomes possible to calculate the contribution that strategy makes to the growth of profit.
Neurologic complications of coronavirus infections.

In 1896, Sir William Osler1 said, “Humanity has but three great enemies: fever, famine, and war; of these by far the greatest, by far the most terrible, is fever.” This rings true even today.
The Use of SpineJack Intravertebral Implant for the Correction of Recurrent Vertebral Fracture After Kyphoplasty.

This report presents a case of short-term symptomatic failure with continued vertebral collapse after a T12 kyphoplasty for an acute fracture in a severely osteoporotic elderly patient. The original trajectory of the unilateral balloon and subsequently injected bone cement failed to fill the fracture, allowing further vertebral collapse that resulted in a rapid return of pain. Within 30 days, a titanium intravertebral body implant, SpineJack® (Stryker Corp, Kalamazoo, MI), combined with injection of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement, was placed in the collapsed area. This provided both sagittal and coronal partial correction of the collapse, fuller distribution of bone cement throughout the fractured vertebrae, and rapid reduction of pain. which was found to have been maintained at the long-term follow-up. The article reviews the technical issues causing failure of vertebral augmentation (VA) as well as the advantage of providing a permanent internal scaffolding to ensure stabilization of any fracture, especially where there is a high risk for progressive instability, such as the thoracic-lumbar junction.
The efficacy of surgical treatment for colon cancer in 108 patients

Objective To explore the efficacies of laparoscopic surgery and laparotomy for colon cancer.Methods 108 patients wih colon cancer who had been treated in our hospital during January 2008 to June 2010 were included in this study.Use controlled study.The patients were assigned to receive open surgery ( 54 patients,control group ),or laparoscopic surgery ( 54 patients,study group ).Various indexes were compared between the two groups and the efficacies of the two procedures was assessed.All measurement data were expressed by mean ±:standard deviation and T test was applied.P ＜ 0.05 was used as a significant statistical difference.Results Blood loss was marked smaller and time to analgesia,time to gastrointestinal recovery,time to ambulation,and length of hospital stay were obviouly shorter in the study group than in the control group [( 185.54 ±10.25) ml vs.(75.55 ± 8.26) ml, (3.21 ± 0.25) min vs.( 1.60 ± 0.03) min,(8.02 ± 0.85)h vs.( 1.60 ± 0.03 ) h,( 9.61 ± 0.75 ) h vs.( 5.11 ± 0.37 ) h,and ( 17.41 ± 2.06 ) d vs.( 10.74± 1.90 )d; P＜ 0.05]; the surgical duration was significantly longer in the study group than in the control group [( 145.63 ± 12.34 ) min vsl ( 176.35±15.24 ) min, P ＜ 0.05 )].Conclusions Laparoscopic treatment for colon cancer has some advantage including less blood loss,rapid postoperative recovery,earlier ambulation,and shorter hospital stay.It is worth popularizing clinically. Key words: Laparoscopy; Laparotomy; Colon cancer; Clinical analysis
Machine learning outcome regression improves doubly robust estimation of average causal effects.

Background Doubly robust estimation produces an unbiased estimator for the average treatment effect unless both propensity score (PS) and outcome models are incorrectly specified. Studies have shown that the doubly robust estimator is subject to more bias than the standard weighting estimator when both PS and outcome models are incorrectly specified. Method We evaluated whether various machine learning methods can be used for estimating conditional means of the potential outcomes to enhance the robustness of the doubly robust estimator to various degrees of model misspecification in terms of reducing bias and standard error. We considered four types of methods to predict the outcomes: least squares, tree-based methods, generalized additive models and shrinkage methods. We also considered an ensemble method called the Super Learner (SL), which is a linear combination of multiple learners. We conducted simulations considering different scenarios by the complexity of PS and outcome-generating models and some ranges of treatment prevalence. Results The shrinkage methods performed well with robust doubly robust estimates in term of bias and mean squared error across the scenarios when the models became rich by including all 2-way interactions of the covariates. The SL performed similarly to the best method in each scenario. Conclusions Our findings indicate that machine learning methods such as the SL or the shrinkage methods using interaction models should be used for more accurate doubly robust estimators.
Internet-based hoarding assessment: The reliability and predictive validity of the internet-based Hoarding Rating Scale, Self-Report.

Abstract The Hoarding Rating Scale, Self Report (HRS-SR) is a 5-item assessment developed to ascertain the presence and severity of hoarding symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the validity of an online adaptation of the HRS-SR in a remote, unsupervised internet sample of 23,214 members of the Brain Health Registry (BHR), an online research registry that evaluates and longitudinally monitors cognition, medical and psychiatric health status. Convergent validity was assessed among a sub-sample of 1,183 participants who completed additional, remote measures of self-reported hoarding behaviors. Structured clinical interviews conducted in-clinic and via video conferencing tools were conducted among 230 BHR participants; ROC curves were plotted to assess the diagnostic performance of the internet-based HRS-SR using best estimate hoarding disorder (HD) diagnoses as the gold standard. The area under the curve indicated near-perfect model accuracy, and was confirmed with 10-fold cross validation. Sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing clinically relevant hoarding were optimized using an HRS-SR total score cut-off of 5. Longitudinal analyses indicated stability of HRS-SR scores over time. Findings indicate that the internet-based HRS-SR is a useful and valid assessment of hoarding symptoms, though additional research using samples with more diverse hoarding behavior is needed to validate optimal cut-off values.
Positive affect and peripheral inflammatory markers among adults: A narrative review.

Abstract Background Previous research suggests that positive affect (PA) may promote health and longevity and that one potential mechanism involves inflammation. However, it remains unclear to what extent PA is associated with specific inflammatory markers and whether such associations are driven by main effects of PA and/or due to PA operating as a stress-buffer. Methods The present narrative review incorporates studies (N = 28) that have examined the association between PA and peripheral inflammatory markers obtained using venous puncture or dried blood spots. We separate results by whether the study tested direct effects or stress-buffering, and by type of inflammatory marker [including C-reactive protein (CRP), and proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines], also paying close attention to type of PA assessment (state, aggregated state, or retrospective, the latter involving recall over one to two weeks), and study design (cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental). Results Limited evidence suggests that studies were more supportive of a stress-buffering association, compared to a relatively direct association. When significant direct associations were observed, results suggested that studies using measures of state/aggregated PA exhibited more consistent associations with inflammatory markers than studies using retrospective PA. When significant, higher PA tended to be associated with lower pro- and anti-inflammatory markers, suggestive of lower overall inflammatory load. Discussion Recommendations for the field and future research are discussed, including the value of utilizing state/aggregated PA measures and of examining stress-buffering mechanisms.
A Sex-Specific Role of Endothelial Sirtuin 3 on Blood Pressure and Diastolic Dysfunction in Female Mice.

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is characterized by a diastolic dysfunction and is highly prevalent in aged women. Our study showed that ablation of endothelial Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) led to diastolic dysfunction in male mice. However, the sex-specific role of endothelial SIRT3 deficiency on blood pressure and diastolic function in female mice remains to be investigated. Methods and Results: In this study, we demonstrate that the ablation of endothelial SIRT3 in females elevated blood pressure as compared with control female mice. Diastolic function measurement also showed that the isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) and myocardial performance index (MPI) were significantly increased, whereas the E’ velocity/A’ velocity (E’/A’) ratio was reduced in the endothelial-specific SIRT3 knockout (SIRT3 ECKO) female mice. To further investigate the regulatory role of endothelial SIRT3 on blood pressure and diastolic dysfunction in metabolic stress, SIRT3 ECKO female mice were fed a normal diet and high-fat diet (HFD) for 20 weeks. The knockout of endothelial SIRT3 resulted in an increased blood pressure in female mice fed with an HFD. Intriguingly, SIRT3 ECKO female mice + HFD exhibited impaired coronary flow reserve (CFR) and more severe diastolic dysfunction as evidenced by an elevated IVRT as compared with control female mice + HFD. In addition, female SIRT3 ECKO mice had higher blood pressure and diastolic dysfunction as compared to male SIRT3 ECKO mice. Moreover, female SIRT3 ECKO mice + HFD had an impaired CFR and diastolic dysfunction as compared to male SIRT3 ECKO mice + HFD. Conclusions: These results implicate a sex-specific role of endothelial SIRT3 in regulating blood pressure and diastolic function in mice. Deficiency of endothelial SIRT3 may be responsible for a diastolic dysfunction in aged female.
PET/CT Poorly Predicts AJCC 8th Edition Pathologic Staging in HPV-Related Oropharyngeal Cancer.

OBJECTIVE The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th edition introduced distinct clinical and pathological staging paradigms for human papilloma virus positive (HPV+) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Treatment planning for OPSCC often utilizes positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) to assess clinical stage. We hypothesize that PET/CT will accurately predict final pathologic AJCC 8th edition staging in patients with HPV+ OPSCC. METHODS All patients with primary HPV+ OPSCC with preoperative PET/CT who underwent transoral robotic surgery and neck dissection between 2011 and 2017 were identified. Data were collected via chart review. Two neuroradiologists performed blinded re-evaluation of all scans. Primary tumor size and cervical nodal disease characteristics were recorded and TNM staging was extrapolated. Cohen's kappa statistic was used to assess interrater reliability. Test for symmetry was performed to analyze discordance between radiologic and pathologic staging. RESULTS Forty-nine patients met inclusion criteria. Interrater reliability was substantial between radiologists for nodal (N) and overall staging (OS) (κ = 0.715 and 0.715). Radiologist A review resulted in identical OS for 67% of patients, overstaging for 31%, and understaging for 2%. Radiologist B review resulted in 61% identical OS, 39% overstaging, and 0% understaging. In misclassified cases, the test of symmetry shows strong bias toward overstaging N stage and OS (P < .001). Radiologic interpretation of extracapsular extension showed poor interrater reliability (κ = 0.403) and poor accuracy. CONCLUSION PET/CT predicts a higher nodal and overall stage than pathologic staging. PET/CT should not be relied upon for initial tumor staging, as increased FDG uptake is not specific for nodal metastases. PET/CT is shown to be a poor predictor of ECE. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 131:1535-1541, 2021.
Sacral neuromodulation: troubleshooting needle placement.

The objective was to develop an instructional video that utilizes fluoroscopic images and anatomical landmarks to increase the surgeon’s ability to troubleshoot optimal placement of the foramen needle and lead during a stage I sacral neuromodulation (SNM) procedure. Eight different examples of suboptimal foramen needle placement with subsequent corrections during a SNM procedure were performed and recorded on a fresh female cadaver. Fluoroscopic images were obtained during the procedure, and illustrations of the posterior aspect of the sacrum highlighting the S3 foramina and nerve are shown for anatomical comparison. This video demonstrates how to efficiently identify and correct suboptimal foramen needle placement in order to obtain optimal lead placement during an SNM procedure. Understanding the relationship between the bony landmarks on fluoroscopy and the S3 nerve and foramen are important in order to understand how to correct a suboptimal foramen needle and thus achieve optimal lead placement.
Competing Identity Cues in the Hostile Media Phenomenon: Source, Nationalism, and Perceived Bias in News Coverage of Foreign Affairs

The global media ecology offers news audiences a wide variety of sources for international news and interpretation of foreign affairs, and this kind of news coverage may increase the salience of bo...
ICP-MS measurements of elemental release from two palladium alloys into a corrosion testing medium for different solution volumes and agitation conditions

Abstract Statement of problem The in vivo release of Pd from palladium alloys into the oral environment and sensitivity reactions by patients has been of concern. However, little information is available about the variation in elemental release from different palladium alloys. Purpose The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the elemental release into a corrosion-testing medium from a high-palladium alloy (Freedom Plus, 78Pd-8Cu-5Ga-6In-2Au) and a Pd-Ag alloy (Super Star, 60Pd-28Ag-6In-5Sn) under different conditions. Material and methods Alloys were cast into O12×1-mm-thick disks, subjected to simulated porcelain-firing heat treatment, polished, and ultrasonically cleaned in ethanol. Three specimens of each alloy were immersed for 700 hours in a solution for in vitro corrosion testing (ISO Standard 10271) that was maintained at 37 °C. Two solution volumes (125 mL and 250 mL) were used, and the solutions were subjected to either no agitation or agitation. Elemental compositions of the solutions were analyzed by using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Concentrations of released elements from each alloy for the 2 solution volumes and agitation conditions were compared by using the restricted maximum likelihood estimation method with a 4-way repeated-measures ANOVA, the Satterwhite degrees of freedom method, a lognormal response distribution, and the covariance structure of compound symmetry. Results For the 4 combinations of solution volume and agitation conditions, the mean amount of palladium released was 3 orders of magnitude less for the Pd-Ag alloy (0.009 to 0.017 μg/cm2 of alloy surface) compared with the Pd-Cu-Ga alloy (17.9 to 28.7 μg/cm2). Larger mean amounts of Sn, Ga, Ag, and In (0.29 to 0.39, 0.57 to 0.83, 0.71 to 1.08, and 0.91 to 1.25 μg/cm2, respectively) compared with Pd were released from the Pd-Ag alloy. Smaller amounts of Cu, Ga, and In (4.8 to 9.9, 5.9 to 12.8, and 4.2 to 9.5 μg/cm2, respectively) compared with Pd were released from the Pd-Cu-Ga alloy. The Ru released was much lower for the Pd-Ag alloy (0.002 μg/cm2) than the Pd-Cu-Ga alloy (0.032 to 0.053 μg/cm2). Statistically significant differences (P Conclusions The relative amounts of released elements from each alloy were not proportional to the relative amounts in the composition. The amounts of Pd and Ga released from the Pd-Cu-Ga alloy were consistent with the breakdown of a Pd2Ga microstructural phase and perhaps some dissolution of the palladium solid solution matrix. Precipitates, rather than the palladium solid solution matrix, appeared to undergo greater dissolution in the Pd-Ag alloy. The Pd-Ag alloy should have lower risk of adverse biological reactions than the Pd-Cu-Ga alloy.
Vitamin D levels and pain outcomes in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients undergoing spine fusion.

Prior research has indicated adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients have lower bone mineral density and lower vitamin D levels than healthy peers. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with higher levels of pain. This study investigated whether vitamin D-deficient AIS patients had higher pain before or immediately after posterior spine fusion (PSF) surgery. 25-Hydroxy vitamin D levels were tested in all AIS patients at their pre-operative appointment. Patients were grouped by serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D level: deficient, < 20 ng/mL; insufficient, 20–29 ng/mL; sufficient, ≥ 30 ng/mL. Primary outcomes included pre-operative Scoliosis Research Society Health-Related Quality of Life (SRS-30) and numeric rating scale (NRS) scores (0–10) up to 72 h post-operatively, and analyzed using ANOVA and linear mixed modeling, respectively. 176 patients undergoing PSF were included. Intra-operative characteristics by vitamin D status were also assessed. The cohort was 82% female and an average of 15.2 years (range 10.6–25.3 years) at fusion. Average major curve was 60 (range 40–104) degrees pre-operatively. Forty-five (26%) patients were deficient in vitamin D, 75 (43%) were insufficient, and 56 (32%) were sufficient. Patients with vitamin D deficiency had lower average household income by zip code (p < 0.01) and higher secondhand smoke exposure (p < 0.001). There were no differences in pre-operative SRS-30 score, pre- and post-operative major curve angles, or estimated blood loss across vitamin D groups. Trajectories of NRS indicated no differences in pain during the first 72 h after surgery. Vitamin D deficiency in this population is associated with potential markers of lower socioeconomic status; however, it does not influence AIS PSF patients’ experience of pain before or immediately after spine fusion surgery. II.
Single-Cell RNA-Seq Analysis of Human iPSC-Derived Motor Neurons Resolves Early and Predictive ALS Signatures

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived neural cultures from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients can reflect disease phenotypes targetable by treatments. However, widely used differentiation protocols produce mixtures of progenitors, neurons, glia, and other cells at various developmental stages and rostrocaudal neural tube segments. Here we present a methodology using single-cell RNA sequencing analysis to distinguish cell type expression in C9orf72 ALS, sporadic ALS, control, and genome-edited cultures across multiple subjects, experiments, and commercial platforms. Combinations of HOX and developmental gene expression with global clustering classified rostrocaudal, progenitor, and mantle zone fates. This demonstrated that iPSC-differentiated cells recapitulate fetal hindbrain and spinal cord development and resolved early, reproducible, and motor neuron-specific signatures of familial and sporadic ALS. This includes downregulated ELAVL3 expression, which persists into disease endstages. Single-cell analysis thus yielded predictive ALS markers in other human and mouse models which were otherwise undiscovered through bulk omics assays.
Data overuse in aging research: Emerging issues and potential solutions.

Aging and lifespan development researchers have been fortunate to have public access to many longitudinal datasets. These data are valuable and see high utilization, yet this has a considerable downside. Many of these are heavily overused. Overuse of publicly available datasets creates dependency among published research papers giving the false impression of independent contributions to knowledge by reporting the same associations over multiple papers. This is a potentially serious problem in the aging literature given the high use of a relatively small number of well-known studies. Any irregularities or sampling biases in this relatively small number of samples have outsize influence on perceived answers to key aging questions. We detail this problem, focusing on issues of dependency among studies, sampling bias and overfitting, and contradictory estimates of the same effect from the same data in independent publications. We provide solutions, including greater use of data sharing, pre-registrations, holdout samples, split-sample cross-validation, and coordinated analysis. We argue these valuable datasets are public resources that are being diminished by overuse, with parallels in environmental science. Taking a conservation perspective, we hold that these practices (pre-registration, holdout samples) can preserve data resources for future generations of researchers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
The Circular Economy Lifecycle Assessment and Visualization Framework: A Case Study of Wind Blade Circularity in Texas

Moving the current linear economy toward circularity is expected to have environmental, economic, and social impacts. Various modeling methods, including economic input-output modeling, life cycle assessment, agent-based modeling, and system dynamics, have been used to examine circular supply chains and analyze their impacts. This work describes the newly developed Circular Economy Lifecycle Assessment and Visualization (CELAVI) framework, which is designed to model how the impacts of supply chains might change as circularity increases. We first establish the framework with a discussion of modeling capabilities that are needed to capture circularity transitions; these capabilities are based on the fact that supply chains moving toward circularity are dynamic and therefore not at steady state, may encompass multiple industrial sectors or other interdependent supply chains and occupy a large spatial area. To demonstrate the capabilities of CELAVI, we present a case study on end-of-life wind turbine blades in the U.S. state of Texas. Our findings show that depending on exact process costs and transportation distances, mechanical recycling could lead to 69% or more of end-of-life turbine blade mass being kept in circulation rather than being landfilled, with only a 7.1% increase in global warming potential over the linear supply chain. We also discuss next steps for analysis and framework development.
Measurement of the Nonlinear Refractive Index of ZnTe in the THz Domain

We employ cross-phase modulation of a weak near-infrared pulse and an intense single-cycle terahertz field to extract the nonlinear refractive index of ZnTe near 1 THz (n2=4.36x10–14 cm2/W).
The Legislative Legacy of Congressional Campaigns

1. Promises to keep? 2. Campaigns as signals 3. Campaign appeals and legislative activity 4. Mechanisms underlying promise-keeping 5. Promise-making and promise-keeping on defense and environmental issues 6. The who, when, and where of follow-through 7. The electoral implications of promise-keeping 8. Promises and policymaking 9. Representation, responsiveness, and the electoral connection.
The Apportionment Problem

One of the first equity problems that arises in the distribution of resources is the apportionment problem. It is concerned with distributing available personnel or other resources in “integral parts” to different subdivisions or tasks. One may be distributing seats in a legislature among different political constituencies, allocating the number of available teachers for a high school or college to the different departments, or determining the number of ships to be assigned to the different fleets in the Navy given certain priorities and goals. In practice this problem frequently arises even before one considers the classical assignment problem that is concerned with the existence of feasible and efficient assignments of resources to various units, such as assigning particular individuals to certain jobs. Several different methods for solving the apportionment problem as well as many of the relevant properties of the various methods will be presented in this chapter, along with examples that indicate a few of the more obvious applications.
ICCD Development at Princeton

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the intensified charge coupled devices (ICCD) development at Princeton. ICCDs are promising detectors for both laboratory measurements of high temperature plasmas in Tokamak nuclear fusion machines and in astronomy. There has been an interest for some time in image intensifier configurations that allow the use of opaque substrate photocathodes which exhibit higher quantum efficiency than semi-transparent photocathodes, especially in the ultraviolet and near infrared. Because the purpose of oblique magnetic focusing is to obtain a given lateral displacement of the focal plane from the optical axis, one must consider the trade-off of increased focal distance versus larger tilt angles. For a given accelerating voltage the aberrations increase with focal distance.
Impact of School Cycles and Environmental Forcing on the Timing of Pandemic Influenza Activity in Mexican States, May-December 2009

While a relationship between environmental forcing and influenza transmission has been established in inter-pandemic seasons, the drivers of pandemic influenza remain debated. In particular, school effects may predominate in pandemic seasons marked by an atypical concentration of cases among children. For the 2009 A/H1N1 pandemic, Mexico is a particularly interesting case study due to its broad geographic extent encompassing temperate and tropical regions, well-documented regional variation in the occurrence of pandemic outbreaks, and coincidence of several school breaks during the pandemic period. Here we fit a series of transmission models to daily laboratory-confirmed influenza data in 32 Mexican states using MCMC approaches, considering a meta-population framework or the absence of spatial coupling between states. We use these models to explore the effect of environmental, school–related and travel factors on the generation of spatially-heterogeneous pandemic waves. We find that the spatial structure of the pandemic is best understood by the interplay between regional differences in specific humidity (explaining the occurrence of pandemic activity towards the end of the school term in late May-June 2009 in more humid southeastern states), school vacations (preventing influenza transmission during July-August in all states), and regional differences in residual susceptibility (resulting in large outbreaks in early fall 2009 in central and northern Mexico that had yet to experience fully-developed outbreaks). Our results are in line with the concept that very high levels of specific humidity, as present during summer in southeastern Mexico, favor influenza transmission, and that school cycles are a strong determinant of pandemic wave timing.
Beyond the Venn diagram: the hunt for a core microbiome

Summary Discovering a core microbiome is important for understanding the stable, consistent components across complex microbial assemblages. A core is typically defined as the suite of members shared among microbial consortia from similar habitats, and is represented by the overlapping areas of circles in Venn diagrams, in which each circle contains the membership of the sample or habitats being compared. Ecological insight into core microbiomes can be enriched by 'omics approaches that assess gene expression, thereby extending the concept of the core beyond taxonomically defined membership to community function and behaviour. Parameters defined by traditional ecology theory, such as composition, phylogeny, persistence and connectivity, will also create a more complex portrait of the core microbiome and advance understanding of the role of key microorganisms and functions within and across ecosystems.
Deformation of Metastable Austenitic Steels at Low Temperatures

The reaction of a solid to continuously increasing applied tensile load is portrayed using a stress-versus-strain curve. From stress-strain curves the Young’s modulus, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, percent elongation, and work hardening characteristics can be obtained. Typically, following the elastic deformation region, a metal or alloy work hardens at a decreasing rate until localized specimen necking initiates and the ultimate strength of the specimen has been reached.
SPHEROPLASTS OF THE YEAST CANDIDA UTILIS

Svihla, G. (Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Ill.), F. Schlenk, and J. L. Dainko. Spheroplasts of the yeast Candida utilis . J. Bacteriol. 82: 808–814. 1961.—The formation and properties of spheroplasts of the yeast Candida utilis , produced by digestion of the cell walls with snail gut juice ( Helix pomatia ) in isotonic medium, were studied by phase, interference, and ultraviolet microscopy, and tracer techniques. Cells cultivated in the presence of l-methionine, S-methyl-l-methionine, and l-homocysteine (5 μmoles/ml) were more susceptible to enzyme action than ordinary cells. These cells contain increased amounts of S-adenosylmethionine in the vacuole which facilitates ultraviolet microscopy. Spheroplasts are stable in 0.6 m KCl containing 0.04 m phosphate, but are disintegrated by water, sonic vibration, or ultraviolet irradiation. Exposure in isotonic medium to 6 × 10 4 erg/mm 2 energy at 253 mμ breaks the cytoplasmic membrane and liberates the vacuole with membrane intact. The vacuolar membrane may be broken with about three times the initial dose of ultraviolet. Images