cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The conundrum of the young colon cancer patient.

Background Colonoscopy has had a major impact on the incidence and survival of colon cancer for patients who are screened, usually beginning at the age of 50. Meanwhile, the incidence rate of colon cancer is actually increasing in the patients younger than 50 while no routine screening is implemented for this age group. Methods All patients surgically treated for colon cancer (2004–2011) without preexisting high-risk characteristics (hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease) were included ( n = 1,015). Age-related disparities in baseline disease and outcomes were reviewed. Results Patients younger than 50 years of age ( n = 108; 10.6%) had the greatest baseline rates of metastatic (20.4% vs 8.0%; P P = .002), and greater rates of extramural vascular invasion (38.9 vs 29.4%; P = .043). Cancer-related mortality also was greatest in this group (28.7 vs 18.4%; P = .011). Multivariable Cox regression shows that patients younger than 50 are still at significantly greater risk of mortality after adjustment for effects of age, baseline AJCC staging, smoking, and comorbidity (hazard ratio: 1.57, 95% confidence interval 1.01–2.45; P = .049). Discussion Patients younger than 50 present with the most advanced and aggressive disease, giving them the worst stage-independent prognosis of all age groups. Potential causes include age-related differences in tumor biology and underdetection by current screening efforts. This raises the question of how to address the conundrum of the young colon cancer patient, who often is the proverbial needle in a haystack of young patients, with nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms but who would benefit considerably from early detection.
A Replication-Deficient Murine γ-Herpesvirus Blocked in Late Viral Gene Expression Can Establish Latency and Elicit Protective Cellular Immunity

The human γ-herpesviruses, EBV and Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, are widely disseminated and are associated with the onset of a variety of malignancies. Thus, the development of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccination strategies is an important goal. The experimental mouse γ-herpesvirus, γHV68 (or MHV-68), has provided an in vivo model for studying immune control of these persistent viruses. In the current studies, we have examined infectivity, immunogenicity, and protective efficacy following infection with a replication-deficient γHV68 blocked in late viral gene expression, ORF31STOP. The data show that ORF31STOP was able to latently infect B cells. However, the anatomical site and persistence of the infection depended on the route of inoculation, implicating a role for viral replication in viral spread but not the infectivity per se. Furthermore, i.p. infection with ORF31STOP elicited strong cellular immunity but a non-neutralizing Ab response. In contrast, intranasal infection was poorly immunogenic. Consistent with this, mice infected i.p. had enhanced control of both the lytic and latent viral loads following challenge with wild-type γHV68, whereas intranasal infected mice were not protected. These data provide important insight into mechanisms of infection and protective immunity for the γ-herpesviruses and demonstrate the utility of replication-deficient mutant viruses in direct testing of “proof of principal” vaccination strategies.
"An Alternative Instructional Model: Teaching Medical Translation Online"

Teaching medical translation has traditionally been performed in classrooms with limited use of technical advances. We report our experiences in the teaching of this translation specialty via the use of the Internet within the context of a university-based translation and interpretation program. The teaching model and course structure are presented along with our suggestions for the role of distance learning in the educational process for modern translators.
Processing Effects on the Electrical and Optical Properties of Sulfur-Related Defect Centers in Silicon and Similarities to the Oxygen Donor

The properties of sulfur-related defects in silicon are shown to differ dramatically from those that would have been expected on the basis of effective mass theory for a simple substitutional double donor. The ratio of the densities of the sulfur states as measured by capacitance-voltage techniques has been observed to vary in specimens fabricated from the same starting resistivity. Optical absorption studies have shown that the deepest sulfur level has a manifold of ground states which anneal at unequal rates at 550°C. Deep-level measurements show that the thermal emission rate at a given temperature and the variety of effects produced depends on annealing history and total sulfur density. The variability of properties of samples of sulfur-doped silicon is similar to those found for the oxygen donors in silicon, thus suggesting a chemical trend for the column VI impurities in silicon.
Spatially resolved characteristics of pharmaceutical sprays

Spatially resolved drop size, velocity, and volume flux data for five different spray coating guns were described in this study. Such spatially resolved measurements show how sprays respond to changes in operating conditions and gun design in ways that less complete measurements can not provide. Data for instance, allow us to recognize the unique drop size distribution of one of the sprays tested, which ultimately was an important factor in determining the dual roles of the shaping air flows: depending on drop size, viscosity, and the magnitude of the shaping air velocity, the shaping air can either pinch or induce secondary atomization to the sprays. When the former outweighs the latter, a dumbbell-shaped spray develops; a more uniform spray results when the opposite occurs. Volume flux data from the different sprays also suggest that a more robust and consistent tablet coating process can likely be designed by utilizing multiple overlapping round sprays. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2012
A Superconducting System for High Sensitivity Measurements of Pc 1 Geomagnetic Pulsations

Geomagnetic pulsations are a class of fluctuations of the earth's magnetic field in the ultra-lowfrequency (ULF) band (i. e. .001 Hz to 5 Hz). Pulsation amplitudes in this band range from milligammas to tens of gammas (1 gamma = 10-5 gauss). Pc 1 pulsations occur in the upper part of this band (.2 Hz to 5 Hz). Until the recent availability of superconducting magnetometers, Pc 1 measurement instrumentation had been internally noise limited. This paper briefly describes conventional Pc 1 instrumentation, and then goes on to describe a working measurement system incorporating a superconducting magnetometer. A good conventional system is compared experimentally to the superconducting system, and the noise of the latter system is seen to be significantly lower. Further, measurements taken with the superconducting system show that the noise in the conventional system can obscure weaker events in the Pc 1 band.
Maps for Changing Landscapes: Viewing Epigenomic Signatures through Differentiation

Enormous progress has been made in identifying chromatin "signatures" that define tissue-specific transcriptional networks. Three recent studies by Rada-Iglesias et al. (2012), Wamstad et al. (2012), and Paige et al. (2012) track such signatures during cellular differentiation, revealing a richer understanding of gene regulation and providing hints of new phenomena.
Mapping Land-Use Change and Monitoring the Impacts of Hardwood- to-Pine Conversion on the Southern Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee

Abstract Over the past two decades, forests in the southeastern United States have undergone dramatic changes as the result of urban sprawl and conversion to intensively managed pine plantations. The Cumberland Plateau, an important ecoregion in the southeastern United States, contains some of the largest remaining tracts of privately owned, native hardwood forest in North America. These ecologically important forests have been undergoing increasingly rapid rates of hardwood-to-pine conversion, much of which has gone undetected by large-scale statewide inventories. Forest conversion in Tennessee's southern Cumberland Plateau provides a case study highlighting the need for interdisciplinary and spatially explicit assessments of the impact and drivers of land-use change at smaller scales. Aerial and satellite imagery were used to create computer-generated maps of land use and forest cover for a 243 000 ha study area within a seven-county region of the southern Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee to track and do...
Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase gene (DPYD) polymorphism among Caucasian patients (pts) with 5-FU and capecitabine (CAP)-related toxicity

e14588 Background: As many as 1 in 3 pts receiving 5-FU/CAP experience dose-limiting toxicity including diarrhea, hand-foot syndrome (HFS), mucositis and myelosupression. Deficiency of DPD, a rate ...
Analysis of Spatial Patterns and Sequential Count Plans for Stalk Borer (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Stalk borer larvae, Papaipema nebris (Guenee), were sampled from noncrop, grassy areas and adjacent corn rows to investigate seasonal changes in dispersion and to develop a sampling program for this pest. Regression coefficients for Taylor's power law and Iwao's mean crowding regression indicated an aggregated spatial arrangement for stalk borers in noncrop areas. This aggregated pattern was attributed to the oviposition behavior of stalk borer adults. Although coefficients of Taylor's power law are thought to be species-specific constants, both Taylor's power law and Iwao's mean crowding regression reflected significant changes in dispersion between plants in a row, with dispersion varying from regular to slightly aggregated. We hypothesized that radical changes in behavior, such as movement from grass to corn, may alter spatial distribution. A high correlation between Taylor's power law coefficients, a and b , suggests that a may reflect aggregation rather than being a speciesspecific constant as previously suggested by Taylor. Additional analysis of dispersion between sections of row showed that larvae tended to be aggregated, with clump size a single individual. Single-stage sequential count plans for noncrop areas and two-staged, fixed- k , sequential count plans for corn that are suitable for intensive population research and pest management surveys were developed and discussed.
Magnetic and Magneto-Optic Properties of dc Magnetron Sputtered Co-Cr/Al Multilayers

Single layers of Co82?l8 with thickness in me ranee of 100–1500A and multilayers of Co-Cr/Al with Co-Cr thickness in the range of 100–200A and Al at 7A were prepared by dc magnetron sputtering. The films were deposited on to Si (111) and glass substrates at room temperature. A 100A thick Al buffer layer was deposited to improve the c-axis orientation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) Measurements on the multilayers show a predominant Co-Cr (00.2) peak. Polar Magneto-optic measurements were performed to determine the Kerr rotation (θK) and figure of Merit. The results indicated an enhancement in the figure of merit at λ = 632.8 nm for the multilayered structures compared to single layer samples. All of the films show a 4πM s value around 6 kG and ferromagnetic resonance measurements indicate an enhancement in the perpendicular anisotropy field for the 150A multilayered sample.
Myotis austroriparius in Arkansas

Myotis austroriparius has not been recorded from the region between central Louisiana and southern Illinois. Two specimens of this species in the mammal collection of the University of Arkansas (U.A.Z., nos. M52-27 and M52-29), taken by F. B. Truett on November 27, 1952, in an abandoned mine shaft twelve miles northwest of Hot Springs, Garland County, Arkansas, extend the known range of Myotis austroriparius 200 miles to the north of the nearest locality from which the species was previously known …
Modeling of isoelectric focusing of type-I collagen molecules under uniform electric field

Our laboratory developed an electrochemical method which transforms collagen solutions to solid state material by densification and unidirectional alignment of molecules [1] based on the principles of isoelectric focusing (IEF). Randomly oriented molecules at the onset migrate to the isoelectic plane when current is applied to the solution. However, the driving forces behind the focusing phenomena are not fully understood.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Level density and mechanism of deuteron-induced reactions on Fe 54 , 56 , 58

Deuteron elastic cross sections, as well as neutron, proton, and $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-particle emission spectra, from $d+^{54,56,58}\text{Fe}$ reactions have been measured with deuteron beam energies of 5, 7, and 9 MeV. Optical model parameters have been tested against our experimental data. The fraction of total reaction cross section responsible for the formation of compound nuclei has been deduced from the angular distributions. The degree of discrepancy between calculated and experimental compound cross sections was found to increase with increasing neutron number. The nuclear level densities of the residual nuclei $^{55}\text{Co},\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{57}\text{Co},\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{55}\text{Fe},\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{57}\text{Fe},\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{52}\text{Mn}$, and $^{54}\text{Mn}$ have been deduced from the compound double differential cross sections. The Gilbert-Cameron model with Iljinov parameter systematics [A. S. Iljinov and M. V. Mebel, Nucl. Phys. A 543, 517 (1992)] was found to have a good agreement with our results.
Efficacy Study of Thoracoscopicassisted Nuss Operation in Treatment of Child Pectus Excavatum

Objective: To assess the clinical efficacy of thoracoscopicassisted Nuss operation in treatment of child pectus excavatum.Methods: 23 patients with pectus excavatum treated by thoracoscopicassisted Nuss operation were investigated during Oct.2008 and Dec.2010.Of 23 cases,19 were symmetric funnelchest and 4 were asymmetric funnelchest.Results:The Nuss operations were successfully done on 23 pectus excavatum patients with operation time range from 40 to 70 min and the period of hospitalization was 5～9 days.Pneumothorax occurred in 2 cases who were managed conservatively(below 10%) and the symptom disappeared after 3 days.One case of mild subcutaneous emphysema was given a 1 month-3 years follow-up;one case of plate dislocation was found by follow-up in 3months with re-operation;right pleural effusion occurred in another case after 2 weeks with the effusion disappearing through anti-infection and thoracentesis;the plate of 2 cases removed after 3 years.All cases were followed up in 1month-3 years after the operation.Conclusion: The thoracoscopicassisted Nuss operation in treatment of child pectus excavatum is significantly safe and efficacious,especially has the advantages of quick recovery and cosmetic results.
Inverting the pyramid: increasing awareness of mycobacterial sepsis in sub-Saharan Africa

Disseminated Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a leading cause of bloodstream infection and severe sepsis in sub-Saharan African settings with a high burden of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Despite the high prevalence of M. tuberculosis bacteremia in these settings it is under-recognized. This is in part because timely diagnosis of M. tuberculosis bacteremia is difficult using traditional TB diagnostics. Novel triage algorithms and rapid diagnostic tests are needed to expedite the identification and treatment of patients with severe sepsis due to M. tuberculosis bacteremia. In this article, we emphasize the importance of M. tuberculosis bacteremia as an under-recognized etiology of severe sepsis, and discuss the potential role of two emerging rapid diagnostic tests in the triage and prognostication of critically ill patients with advanced HIV infection and suspected disseminated M. tuberculosis. We conclude with the recommendation that clinicians in high TB-HIV burden settings strongly consider empiric anti-tuberculosis treatment in patients with advanced HIV infection and severe sepsis in the appropriate clinical context. Future studies are needed to assess diagnostic and prognostic algorithms for severe sepsis caused by disseminated M. tuberculosis in these settings, and the safety, efficacy, and duration of empiric anti-tuberculosis treatment.
Evaluation of 2-deoxy-D-glucose for induction of a stress response in pigs.

OBJECTIVE To determine the most effective route and dose for 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) administration in swine, kinetics of 2DG, endogenous glucose concentration in the blood, effects of 2DG on cortisol concentration, and effects of 2DG administration in vivo on lymphocyte proliferation in vitro. ANIMALS 14 Salmonella-free male and female mixed-breed pigs. PROCEDURE A cannula was inserted in the femoral artery of each pig to allow for frequent blood collection with minimal external stress. The concentration and duration of 2DG in the blood was monitored while varying dose (250, 500, or 750 mg/kg of body weight) and route (IV, SC, IM, or IP) of 2DG administration. Blood samples were collected at various time points and assayed for lymphocyte response to concanavalin A and cortisol, endogenous glucose, and 2DG concentrations. RESULTS The 2 best routes for administration of 2DG were IV and SC. If the IV route was chosen, the optimal dose was 500 mg of 2DG/kg; the optimal dose for SC administration was 750 mg/kg. CONCLUSIONS 2DG induces a stress response in pigs similar to that in rodents. The use of 2DG in a porcine stress model should be effective for studying the possible role of stress in the pathogenesis and shedding of microorganisms.
Innovation or Inconsistency? Framing Colorectal Cancer Guidelines to Improve Public Perceptions of Updated Screening Recommendations:

Effectively communicating how findings from population science inform patient-level decision-making about cancer prevention remains a challenge. Despite the substantial benefits associated with early detection of colorectal cancer, patient compliance with screening guidelines is suboptimal. One potential barrier to compliance is the language used by organizations to frame screening recommendations. Drawing on theory and research on verbal immediacy, the current study examines whether linguistically framing screening messages as being temporally immediate makes them more effective than non-immediate messages for encouraging people to adopt state-of-science screening recommendations. An online message design experiment was conducted with a sample of older adults (N = 305). Results show temporally immediate frames are more effective at increasing behavioral intention to follow updated screening guidelines than temporally non-immediate frames. In addition, both response efficacy of a screening modality and pe...
Abstract 7: Reduced Hospitalization For Transient Ischemic Attack In The United States Over The Past Decade

BACKROUND: A paradigm shift in the diagnosis, evaluation and management of transient ischemic attack (TIA) over the last decade has resulted from deeper understanding of risks and use of newer tissue-based diagnostic criteria. We evaluated the rates of TIA and ischemic stroke hospitalization per 100,000 population over the past decade in a representative national database. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2000 to 2010 (n=86,622,872) to identify cases of primary TIA (ICD-9 codes 435.0-9 and 326.34) and primary ischemic stroke (ICD-9 codes 434.00-99) discharge diagnoses. RESULTS: The number of TIA hospitalizations in the United States decreased linearly from 101 per 100,000 in the year 2000 to 80 per 100,000 in 2010. On average, TIA hospitalizations for a given year were 0.98 (0.95-1.00) times as high as the prior year (p=0.06). As the number of TIA hospitalizations was decreasing, ischemic stroke hospitalizations increased from 144 per 100,000 in 2000 to 184 per 100,000 2010. On average, the stroke hospitalizations for a given year were 1.03 (1.02-1.05) times as high as the prior year (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: TIA hospitalizations in the United States decreased from 2000 to 2010 as the number of ischemic stroke hospitalizations increased. This may be a result of increased imaging utilization and use of tissue-based diagnosis of TIA. Cases of cerebral ischemia with resolved symptoms coded as TIA in the past may be coded as ischemic stroke with MRI imaging evidence of brain injury, yet further study is needed to confirm this finding. ![Graphic][1] [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
Preoperative Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation for Early-Stage Breast Cancer: Preliminary Results of a Prospective, Phase 2 Trial

Purpose To assess the feasibility of utilizing 3-dimensional conformal accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI) in the preoperative setting followed by standard breast-conserving therapy. Patients and Methods This was a prospective trial testing the feasibility of preoperative APBI followed by lumpectomy for patients with early-stage invasive ductal breast cancer. Eligible patients had T1-T2 ( 21 days after radiation therapy. Adjuvant therapy was given as per standard of care. Results Twenty-seven patients completed treatment. With a median follow-up of 3.6 years (range, 0.5-5 years), there have been no local or regional failures. A complete pathologic response according to hematoxylin and eosin stains was seen in 4 patients (15%). There were 4 grade 3 seromas. Patient-reported cosmetic outcome was rated as good to excellent in 79% of patients after treatment. Conclusions Preoperative 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy−APBI is feasible and well tolerated in select patients with early-stage breast cancer, with no reported local recurrences and good to excellent cosmetic results. The pathologic response rates associated with this nonablative APBI dose regimen are particularly encouraging and support further exploration of this paradigm.
Degrees of Freedom of OAM-Based Line-of-Sight Radio Systems

This paper studies the degrees of freedom (DOFs) of a line-of-sight (LOS) communication system, employing orbital angular momentum (OAM)-based orthogonal multiplexing to enhance the spectral efficiency. Aperture and ring receive domains are considered, and analytical expressions of the DOF numbers are obtained. For both cases, the DOF numbers are found to be strongly dependent on the relative sizes between the transmitter and the receiver because of the divergence of the OAM-carrying beams. It is also found that the DOF number of an OAM-based system is less than that of a comparable system allowed to use any supported waves, suggesting that OAM-based multiplexing does not offer any additional performance benefits over traditional spatial multiplexing techniques. Some practical implications of the OAM-based radio are discussed. A numerical study is also presented to evaluate the analytical findings and to address the impacts of the assumptions adopted to reach these findings. The analytical DOF expressions are evidenced to have very good performance in both high-DOF and low-DOF scenarios.
Insider Threat Detection Using Time-Series-Based Raw Disk Forensic Analysis

This research tests the theory that volitional, malicious computer use based on insider threat activity can be detected via a time-series-based analysis of data and file type forensic artifacts that reside on a raw disk. In other words, statistical profiling of allocated and unallocated space pertaining to the types of files accessed and the data browsed, acquired and processed incident to espionage, intellectual property theft, fraud or organizational computer abuse can help detect insider threats. The t-test approach is used to compare the means of two time windows using the split and sliding window methods along with first-order autoregressive modeling. Empirical testing against the nineteen-day snapshots of the M57-Patents case provides support for all three methods, but the results suggest that the first-order autoregressive modeling method is the most robust. Additionally, the autoregressive modeling approach is likely to generate more intuitive results for an analyst. Ground truth analysis confirms nearly all of the outliers that were detected. While the majority of the outliers were due to benign and easily explainable situations and system contexts and the minority were due to malicious activity, the approach does not yield an inordinate amount of search hits to examine and validate. This research thus provides a new computational approach for locating digital forensic evidence.
Crystal morphology prediction and morphology variation in NaIO4 and NaIO4.3H2O.

Attachment energies computed with only Coulomb potentials have been utilized to predict crystal morphologies for NaIO4, sodium iodate, and the hydrate NaIO4.3H2O, sodium iodate trihydrate [actually Na(H3O)(IO3)(OH)3]. As with other previously studied water-soluble ionic compounds, these two systems exhibit a systematic relationship between the early growth morphology and that of mature crystals; this relationship can in each case be reproduced by adjusting one attachment energy value. Morphology prediction for these two substances is of particular interest because NaIO4.3H2O is a polar crystal and involves extensive hydrogen bonding, and because obtaining the observed morphology for NaIO4 involved consideration of solvent desorption at the growing faces.
Beamforming receiver for underwater pulsed laser line scanning

Our current research adds another layer of enhancement over Pulsed Laser Line Scanning (PLLS) by partially rejecting the source-to-target forward scattering effects. The technique uses the same source as PLLS system, but the receiver consists of a linear array of n time-resolved bucket collectors in the cross-axis direction. The spacing between receive elements is large enough to cause measurable time-of-flight differences in the near-field. By using a near-field beamforming algorithm, which sums together the time-resolved receiver waveforms with the appropriate delays based on the geometry, the contrast ratio is improved and some of the multiple forward scattering induced blur/glow/ghosting effects are rejected as well as improving the time-of-flight based 3D image reconstruction. This paper utilizes modeling to investigate the feasibility of this method.
Topical Delivery Using Prodrugs

The objective of any prodrug approach is to transiently mask a particular functional group in a drug and thus change its physicochemical properties (solubility profile, degree of ionization), protect it from premature chemical or biological metabolism, or facilitate its active or passive transport across a biological barrier, to name only a few of the more obvious applications. In the example of the use of a prodrug approach to enhance topical delivery, a change in the physicochemical properties of the drug is the objective. That change is designed to facilitate the passive absorption across the stratum corneum (SC)—wherein lies the major barrier to permeation—into the viable epidermis and beyond, if necessary. More complete descriptions of the skin can be found in other references (Barry, 1983). Here, we use the term “topical delivery” to include dermal delivery (delivery into the skin) and transdermal delivery (delivery through the skin into systemic circulation).
Inhibition of cultured human RPE cell proliferation and lysyl hydroxylase activity by hydroxy derivatives of minoxidil.

PURPOSE To examine the antiproliferative and lysyl hydroxylase suppressing effects of 3'-hydroxyminoxidil and 4'-hydroxyminoxidil, derivatives of minoxidil devoid of the antihypertensive effect, on human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells in culture. METHODS Subconfluent and confluent cultures of RPE cells, exposed to 0.01 to 5 mM 3' or 4'-hydroxyminoxidil for 15 minutes to 7 days, were examined for proliferation, viability, and morphologic changes. Lysyl hydroxylase activity in confluent cultures exposed to 1 mM 3'- or 4'-hydroxyminoxidil was determined by measuring the amount of 3H2O released from L-(4,5-3H)lysine-labeled unhydroxylated procollagen substrate after vacuum distillation. RESULTS Both compounds inhibited the proliferation of subconfluent cultures of RPE cells in a dose-dependent fashion. The 50% effect occurred at 0.25 mM for 3'-hydroxyminoxidil and 0.5 mM for 4'-hydroxyminoxidil. The antiproliferative effect was detectable within 24 hours, required a minimum 1-hour exposure, and persisted even after the drug was removed from the culture medium. Cell viability experiments provided no evidence for toxicity. In contrast, the number of cells at confluent density was not affected. Both 3'-hydroxyminoxidil and 4'-hydroxyminoxidil suppressed lysyl hydroxylase activity by 72%. CONCLUSIONS The structure of minoxidil can be altered to reduce the antihypertensive activity while preserving the antiproliferative and lysyl hydroxylase suppressing effects. The hydroxy derivatives of minoxidil may be useful in the treatment of proliferative vitreoretinopathy, a disease with unwanted proliferation of RPE cells.
Synthesis of Saturated Heterocycles via Metal-Catalyzed Alkene Carboamination or Carboalkoxylation Reactions

This review describes recent advances over the past decade in the field of heterocycle synthesis via Pd-catalyzed alkene carboamination or carboalkoxylation reactions. These transformations effect the coupling of a carbon electrophile with an unsaturated alcohol or amine and provide heterocyclic products via difunctionalization of the substrate alkene. These reactions provide stereoselective access to a broad array of oxygen and nitrogen heterocycles, including compounds that contain more than one heteroatom. The current scope and limitations of these transformations are discussed, along with relevant mechanistic details.
Atlas Based Intensity Transformation of Brain MR Images

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive modality that has been widely used to image the structure of the human brain. Unlike reconstructed x-ray computed tomography images, MRI intensities do not possess a calibrated scale, and the images suffer from wide variability in intensity contrasts due to scanner calibration and pulse sequence variations. Most MR image processing tasks use intensities as the principal feature and therefore the results can vary widely according to the actual tissue intensity contrast. Since it is difficult to control the MR scanner acquisition protocols in multi-scanner cross-sectional studies, results achieved using image processing tools are often difficult to compare in such studies. Similar issues can happen in longitudinal studies, as scanners undergo upgrades or improvements in pulse sequences, leading to new imaging sequences. We propose a novel probabilistic model to transform image contrasts by matching patches of a subject image to a set of patches from a multi-contrast atlas. Although the transformed images are not for diagnostic purpose, the use of such contrast transforms is shown for two applications, (a) to improve segmentation consistency across scanners and pulse sequences, (b) to improve registration accuracy between multi-contrast image pairs by transforming the subject image to the contrast of the reference image and then registering the transformed subject image to the reference image. Contrary to previous intensity transformation methods, our technique does not need any information about landmarks, pulse sequence parameters or imaging equations. It is shown to provide more consistent segmentation across scanners compared to state-of-the-art methods.
Patient Risk Factors Do Not Impact 90-Day Readmission and Emergency Department Visitation After Total Ankle Arthroplasty: Implications for the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) Bundled Payment Plan.

Background:The Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model provides bundled payments for in-hospital care and care within 90 days following discharge for Medicare beneficiaries undergoing lower-extremity joint replacement involving the hip, knee, or ankle (total hip arthroplasty, total knee
Adsorption of Xyloglucan onto Thin Films of Cellulose Nanocrystals and Amorphous Cellulose: Film Thickness Effects.

The interaction between cellulose and hemicelluloses is of fundamental importance for understanding the molecular architecture of plant cell walls. Adsorption of xyloglucan (XG) onto regenerated ce...
IEEE 802.11ad Packet Transmission Based SSB Optical Modulation on Radio-Over-Fiber in the 90-GHz Band

In order to realize a high-speed wireless link for a high-speed vehicle, such as a bullet train, we propose a radio over fiber (RoF) technique with a single-sideband optical modulator. The system is compliant with the IEEE 802.11ad standard and operation in the W-band is successful. The optical modulator is driven by an automatic bias controller. In this paper, we report a demonstration of the RoF system, which has archived an error vector magnitude of 4.8% on 16-QAM.
Pope Francis and the Christological Dimensions of Solidarity in Catholic Social Teaching

Solidarity is a central aspect of the Catholic social tradition and yet it is difficult to capture in a simple definition. Building upon his predecessor’s examination of solidarity, Pope Francis de...
Transmission electron microscopical characterization of hot-pressed shocked and unshocked aluminum nitride powder

A TEM examination was made of compacts of shocked and unshocked AlN powders subsequently hot pressed at 1730°C with ram pressures between 26 and 52 MPa. The microstructures were complex and inhomogeneous. Dislocations produced by the shock persisted into the hot pressing cycle. Both shocked and unshocked samples exhibited dislocation generation and motion in the early part of the hot press cycle.
Cosmic Accelerators: A New Era of Cosmic Ray Astrophysics and Particle Physics

A new generation of cosmic ray experiments will be able to measure γN → πX photoproduction for γ-energies exceeding 100 TeV using tagged photon beams emitted by cosmic accelerators. A source such as Cygnus X-3 could emit as many as 105 photons/km2/year with energies exceeding 100 TeV. These experiments, although motivated by astronomy, should be of interest to particle physics as they are unlikely to be ever performed with accelerators. They also avoid the classical pitfalls of present cosmic ray experiments in this energy range as (i) they can achieve reasonable statistics with good signal/noise, (ii) they use a beam of known composition (i.e. photons) and (iii) they observe showers whose development in the air is dictated by QED and therefore calculable so that unusual phenomena can be unambiguously interpreted as new physics. They can provide us with a first look at the energy regime probed by future supercolliders. We also briefly touch upon the value of these experiments as telescopes for the study of the origin of cosmic rays and the detection of supernova.
Using ICD-10 codes to identify elective epilepsy monitoring unit admissions from administrative billing data: A validation study.

Abstract Video-electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring in the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) is essential for managing epilepsy and seizure mimics. Evaluation of care in the EMU would benefit from a validated code set capable of identifying EMU admissions from administrative databases comprised of large, diverse cohorts. We assessed the ability of code-based queries to parse EMU admissions from administrative billing records in a large academic medical center over a four-year period, 2016–2019. We applied prespecified queries for admissions coded as follows: 1) elective, 2) receiving video-EEG monitoring, and 3) including diagnoses typically required by major US healthcare payers for EMU admission. Sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), and predictive value positive/negative (PVP, PVN) were determined. Two approaches were highly effective. Incorporating epilepsy, seizure, or seizure mimic codes as the admitting diagnosis (assigned at admission; Sn 96.3%, Sp 100.0%, PVP 98.3%, and PVN 100.0%) or the principal diagnosis (assigned after discharge; Sn 94.9%, Sp 100.0%, PVP 98.8%, and PVN 100.0%) identified elective adult EMU admissions with comparable reliability (p = 0.096). The addition of surgical procedure codes further separated EMU admissions for intracranial EEG monitoring. When applied to larger, more comprehensive datasets, these code-based queries should enhance our understanding of EMU utilization and access to care on a scalable basis.
Enzyme-Activated Nitric Oxide-Releasing CompositeMaterial for Antibacterial Activity Against Escherichiacoli

Bacterial infections occurring on medical devices are incredible difficult to treat, highlighting the urgency for progress in developing antibiotics and antibacterial materials. This work describes...
Surface Decontamination of Fresh, Whole Peaches (Prunus persica) Using Sodium Hypochlorite or Acidified Electrolyzed Water Solutions

Nearly half (45%) of the U.S. peach production is sold through the fresh market sector, making post-harvest disinfectant washing treatments a critical step for reducing surface microorganisms. This...
Household food insecurity and children's oral health: Findings from the 2016–2018 National Survey of Children's Health

Objectives The purpose of the present study is to examine the association between household food insecurity and oral health problems among US children, and the role that socioeconomic, insurance, and oral health care utilization variables play in this association. Methods A large, nationally representative sample of children from the 2016-2018 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) was employed in the present study (N = 99,962). Logistic regression and negative binomial regression were used to assess the influence of household food insecurity on diverse oral health problems and unmet oral health care needs. The Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) method was used to examine the attenuating roles of socioeconomic, insurance, and oral health care utilization variables. Results Children in food-insecure households exhibited significantly greater odds of all examined oral health problems as well as unmet oral health care needs. These associations were a) most pronounced in the case of moderate-to-severe food insecurity and b) partly explained by a subset of socioeconomic and insurance-related variables. Conclusions Household food insecurity is a potent risk factor for oral health problems and unmet oral health care needs among US children. Programmatic efforts to address household food insecurity may yield collateral benefits for the oral health of children. Furthermore, because socioeconomic status and insurance-related variables explain part of the association, targeted interventions to improve these factors may improve oral health among at-risk children.
First-in-Human Clinical Experience Using High-Definition Exoscope with Intraoperative Indocyanine Green for Clip Reconstruction of Unruptured Large Pediatric Aneurysm.

The operative exoscope is a novel tool that combines the benefits of surgical microscopes and endoscopes to yield excellent magnification and illumination while maintaining a comparatively small footprint and superior ergonomic features. Until recently, current exoscopes have been limited by 2-dimensional viewing; however, recently a 3-dimensional (3D), high-definition (4K-HD) exoscope has been developed (Sony-Olympus, Tokyo, Japan). 1 Our group had previously described the first in-human experiences with this novel tool including microsurgical clipping of intracranial aneurysms. We have highlighted the benefits of the exoscope, which include providing an immersive experience for surgeons and trainees, as well as superior ergonomics as compared with traditional microsurgery. 2 To date, exoscopic 3D high-definition indocyanine green (ICG) video angiography (ICG-VA) has not been described. ICG-VA, now a mainstay of vascular microsurgery, uses intravenously injected dye to visualize intravascular fluorescence in real time to assess the patency of arteries and assess clip occlusion of aneurysms. 3 , 4 The ability to safely couple this tool with the novel exoscope has the potential to advance cerebrovascular microsurgery. Here, we present a case of a 11-year-old male with Alagille syndrome, pancytopenia, and peripheral pulmonary stenosis found to have a 12 × 13 × 7 mm distal left M1 aneurysm arising from the inferior M1/M2 junction. The patient was neurologically intact without evidence of rupture. In order to prevent catastrophic rupture, the decision was made to treat the lesion. Due to the patients underlying medical conditions including baseline coagulopathy, surgical management was felt to be superior to an endovascular reconstruction, which would require long-term antiplatelet therapy. Thus the patient underwent a left-sided pterional craniotomy with exoscopic 3D ICG-VA. As demonstrated in Video 1 , ICG-VA was performed before definitive clip placement in order to understand flow dynamics with particular emphasis on understanding the middle cerebral artery outflow. Postoperatively, the patient remained at his neurologic baseline and subsequent imaging demonstrated complete obliteration of the aneurysm without any neck remnant. The patient continues to follow and remains asymptomatic and neurologically intact without radiographic evidence of residual or recurrence.
Influence of configuration of bulkheads on use of estuarine beaches by horseshoe crabs and foraging shorebirds

Construction of bulkheads is a common response to erosion of estuarine shorelines. Bulkheads are usually built incrementally, resulting in wider sandy beaches remaining as enclaves between bulkhead segments. This paper measures the characteristics of bulkheads and enclaves and evaluates (1) whether horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) utilize enclaves for spawning when they provide partial sheltering during periods of high wave energies; and (2) whether eggs become trapped in the enclaves and are available to shorebirds when the beaches in front of bulkheads are inundated. The characteristics of bulkheads and beach enclaves were identified in five developed reaches in Delaware Bay, USA. Counts of horseshoe crabs were made in enclaves in two of these reaches during times of high wave energies and compared to counts in nearby unarmored segments. Egg tracer and trapping experiments were conducted at one of the enclaves to assess egg movement. Results indicate that the percent of bulkheads intersecting the beach below mid-foreshore varies from 10 to 50 %. Spawning densities were greater in enclaves than on longer unarmored segments on some days. Enclaves serve as a sink for eggs moving along the base of the bulkheads. Most birds feeding on horseshoe crab eggs preferred sites outside the enclaves and bulkhead segments. Any advantage of bulkheads creating enclaves and sinks for eggs moving alongshore is likely overridden by their disruption to natural process and habitats, but having unarmored enclaves between bulkhead segments may be preferable to one continuous bulkhead, based on environmental benefits.
Surgical Management of Ulcerative Colitis.

The overall incidence of colectomy in a UC patient ranges from 23 to 45%. This risk is higher in patients with pancolitis than in patients with left-sided disease. Indications for colectomy include an acute flare unresponsive to medical measures, development of a life-threatening complication (e.g., toxic colitis, perforation, or hemorrhage), medical intractability, risk of malignancy, disabling extracolonic disease, and growth retardation in children. Encouraging results have been reported with the use of cyclosporine in acute colitis yet long-term effectiveness of this particular treatment modality remains undefined. However, there is no reported increase in the incidence of perioperative complications after subtotal colectomy in patients treated before surgery with cyclosporine. Infliximab has recently been used for ulcerative colitis. Medical intractability is the most common indication for operation and may seem difficult to define. It is important to recognize that medical intractability is a problem the patient identifies in conjunction with the physician.
Preventive Law: A Strategy for Internal Corporate Lawyers to Advise Managers of Their Ethical Obligations

This article examines the efficacy of Preventive Law jurisprudence to internal corporate law practice. The article compares internal corporate law practice to the practice approach of Preventive Law. The article explores the benefits of Preventive Law jurisprudence to internal corporate law practice. Part I discusses the history and various vectors of Preventive Law. Part II examines the responsibilities of corporate law departments. Part III compares Preventive Law practice skills to internal corporate law practice, and explores the utility of Barton’s problem solving approaches to internal corporate law practice. Finally, the article concludes arguing internal corporate law practice is Preventive Law practice. This article suggests an understanding of the role of internal corporate lawyers as practicing Preventive Law in the context of Preventive Law jurisprudence.
A Variable Latency Pipelined Floating-Point Adder

Addition is the most frequent floating-point operation in modern microprocessors. Due to its complex shift-add-shift-round dataflow, floating-point addition can have a long latency. To achieve maximum system performance, it is necessary to design the floating-point adder to have minimum latency, while still providing maximum throughput. This paper proposes a new floating-point addition algorithm which exploits the ability of dynamically-scheduled processors to utilize functional units which complete in variable time. By recognizing that certain operand combinations do not require all of the steps in the complex addition dataflow, the average latency is reduced. Simulation on SPECfp92 applications demonstrates that a speedup in average addition latency of 1.33 can be achieved using this algorithm, while still maintaining single cycle throughput.
A Review of: “Sara Ahmed. Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others”

Rarely does philosophical writing successfully manage to make its reader embrace the abstraction that comes along with such writing and bridge this abstraction with everyday, lived experience. Sara...
Performance analysis and tuning of automatically parallelized OpenMP applications

Automatic parallelization combined with tuning techniques is an alternative to manual parallelization of sequential programs to exploit the increased computational power that current multi-core systems offer. Automatic parallelization concentrates on finding any possible parallelism in the program, whereas tuning systems help identifying efficient parallel code segments and serializing inefficient ones using runtime performance metrics. In this work we study the performance gap between automatic and hand parallel OpenMP applications and try to find whether this gap can be filled by compile-time techniques or it needs dynamic or user-interactive solutions. We implement an empirical tuning framework and propose an algorithm that partitions programs into sections and tunes each code section individually. Experiments show that tuned applications perform better than original serial programs in the worst case and sometimes outperform hand-parallel applications. Our work is one of the first approaches delivering an auto-parallelization system that guarantees performance improvements for nearly all programs; hence it eliminates the need for users to "experiment" with such tools in order to obtain the shortest runtime of their applications.