cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antecedents of Febrile Seizures

Prenatal and perinatal characteristics as possible risk factors for febrile seizures were reviewed by analysis of the data from the collaborative perinatal project of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the Neuroepidemiology Branch, Bethesda, MD.
Recurrent solitary fibrous tumor of lumbar spine with vertebral body involvement: imaging features and differential diagnosis with report of a case

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) of the spine are exceedingly rare tumors of mesenchymal origin. Most spinal SFTs arise from the thoracic spine, followed by cervical spine, and last lumbar spine with only 6 cases reported in literature. SFTs represent a wide range of neoplasms, ranging from benign to malignant. These tumors can develop a late recurrence, even after a decade or more of initial presentation, requiring long-term follow-up. We present a case of recurrent SFT of the lumbar spine with vertebral body involvement, presenting more than a decade after initial resection. It was initially misdiagnosed as a paraganglioma. To the best of our knowledge, there have been only 3 previous cases reporting SFT with vertebral body involvement.
State-space modeling of neural signals

Neural systems encode representations of biological signals in the firing patterns of their spike trains. Spike trains are point process time-series and their codes are both dynamic and stochastic. Although the signal is often continuous, its representation in the nervous systems is as a high-dimensional point process time-series. Because neural spike trains are point processes, standard signal processing techniques for continuous data are of limited utility in the analysis of neural systems. Accurate processing of neural signals requires the development of quantitative techniques to characterize correctly the point process nature of neural spiking activity. We discuss our research on the use of the state-space paradigm for point process observation to characterize neural systems and discuss three applications characterizing: the response threshold of neurons in primary auditory cortex; the dynamics of subthalamic nuclei neurons in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease; and how ensemble spiking activity of rat hippocampal neurons maintain a dynamic representation of the animal's position in its environment. Brain dynamics can also be measured indirectly at the scalp through the brain's electrical and magnetic fields. As a final example, we present a high-dimensional EM algorithm for a state-space model and use it to compute simultaneous state (dipole sources) and parameter estimates for magnetoencephalography (MEG) inverse problems. (60 pages)
Thermo-optic effects on three waveguide directional couplers

We studied the thermo-optic effects in detuned antisymmetric three waveguide directional couplers analytically, we analyzed the effects on switching operation on several temperature changes, which cause different switching characteristics, especially the value of propagation constant mismatch. Based on this research, it concluded that the system with three identical waveguides in which the beam launched into middle waveguide is better system to withstand cross state condition in higher temperature. Note that the system’s limit changes of propagation constant mismatch in which could hold the cross state performance is Δβ = -0.4 – 0.4 before heated, Δβ = -1.4 – 1.4 after heated 10°C and Δβ = -2.7 – 2.7 after heated 20°C.
Risk of Pain Medication Misuse After Spinal Cord Injury: The Role of Substance Use, Personality, and Depression

Abstract Our purpose was to identify risk of pain medication misuse (PMM) among participants with spinal cord injury (SCI) by examining associations with multiple sets of risk factors including demographic and injury characteristics, pain experiences, frequency of pain medication use, substance use, personality, and depressive symptoms. Risk of PMM was defined by a cutoff score ≥30 measured using the Pain Medication Questionnaire (PMQ) and examined in 1,619 adults with traumatic SCI of at least 1 year duration who reported at least 1 painful condition and use of prescription pain medication using a cross-sectional design. Results indicated 17.6% of participants had scores of ≥30 on the PMQ. After controlling for demographic, injury, and pain characteristics, logistic regression analysis showed that being a current smoker, recently using cannabis (behavioral factors), and multiple psychological factors were associated with risk of PMM, as indicated by scores on the PMQ. These included elevated depressive symptomatology and exhibiting impulsive or anxious personality traits. Because risk of PMM is indicated in individuals with SCI, prescribers should assess and monitor multiple risk factors for PMM including substance use behaviors and psychological indicators. Perspective This article identifies behavioral substance use and psychological factors associated with risk of PMM, measured using the PMQ, among those with SCI. Identification of these related variables will help health care professionals better prescribe and monitor pain medication use and/or misuse among individuals with SCI.
Beach Recreationalists' Willingness to Pay and Economic Implications of Coastal Water Quality Problems in Hawaii

The economic value of water quality is poorly understood in Hawaii. Quantifying the economic value of coastal water quality would inform policy decisions that impact the coast and help justify expenditures in water quality improvements. We conducted a non-market valuation of beach recreationalists’ preferences and willingness to pay for water quality and associated attributes at Oahu beaches. Using a discrete choice experiment analyzed by a conditional logit model, results suggest individuals were willing to pay $11.43 per day at the beach to reduce days of bacterial exceedance from 11 to 5 per year, a further $30.72 to reduce it to no bacterial exceedances at all. WTP to move from 15 ft to 30 ft of underwater visibility was $35.71, a further $14.80 to increase from 30 ft to 60 ft. Respondents were also willing to pay $15.33 to improve coral reef cover from 10% to 25%, a further $4.89 to improve to 45% cover. WTP for moving from 9 fish species to 18 species was $7.14, a further $2.47 to increase that to 27 fish species. These environmental improvements can improve Oahu recreationalists’ welfare by $205 million, $550 million, $639 million, $265 million, $274 million, $88 million, $128 million, and $44 million per year, respectively. Welfare gains may justify increased spending in management and restoration of coastal ecosystems.
Estimating the yield of underground nuclear explosions

abstract Estimating the yield of underground nuclear explosions from the far-field seismic waves is a difficult problem, since accurate estimates require a detailed accounting for source-region and travel-path differences between known and unknown yield events. For short-period P waves, the first problem is to obtain an unbiased measure of the far-field energy. Conventional m b seem unsatisfactory because of the large scatter in station values. The dominant cause seems to be wave focusing/defocusing by complex earth structure. Improved routine measures are likely to involve measurements of the spectral energy in the initial P and/or P coda. Direct modeling of recordings from especially good stations can also provide important information. Even with an unbiased measure of far-field energy, bias in yield estimates can result from regionally varying path effects (mainly attenuation) and variations in the source-coupling properties of the local geology. The effect of attenuation differences is difficult to quantify for specific events due to strong tradeoff with source-coupling and complex earth structure effects. Detailed computer models for the effect of material properties on coupling are able to match most of the available data, but their validity for extrapolation to other materials is questioned because of problems with uniqueness and independent verification of the model parameters. The NTS volcanic materials are best understood. The major unresolved problems are with granite and salt, where the bulk material strength at the large scale of nuclear explosions controls the coupling and is very difficult to estimate. For surface waves, the issues are analogous, except for the additional complication of nonisotropic effects that sometimes dominate the radiation. Otherwise, it appears that surface waves should give more precise estimates for large events. Yield estimation is, in practice, done with some empirical relationship based on known yield events. This is briefly discussed to indicate that, despite the many technical problems, m b and M b data scale rather well with yield. The main objective of the paper is to summarize the current state of understanding of the technical issues and highlight the important questions.
Preparing and Testing a Magnetic Antimicrobial Silver Nanocomposite for Water Disinfection To Gain Experience at the Nanochemistry–Microbiology Interface

We describe a 2 h introductory laboratory procedure that prepares a novel magnetic antimicrobial activated carbon nanocomposite in which nanoscale sized magnetite and silver particles are incorporated (MACAg). The MACAg nanocomposite has achieved the synergistic properties derived from its components and demonstrated its applicability as an effective and recoverable antimicrobial agent for water disinfection. The principle is successfully illustrated by a significant reduction in the number of microbes in an Escherichia coli (E. coli) solution of 2 × 106 colony forming units following its treatment with MACAg for 10 min. The exercise allows the college students to (1) be introduced to an exciting class of advanced materials, known as nanocomposites, at an early stage, (2) gain working experiences at nanochemistry–microbiology interface, and (3) see the use and experience the fun of chemistry. The experiment uses readily available materials, can be run in a general or introductory chemistry laboratory envi...
Anti-IgE in Allergic Airway Diseases: Indications and Applications

IgE plays a role in both the initial sensitization to antigen and the subsequent effects upon repeat exposure. For sensitization, inhaled antigen is ingested by antigen presenting dendritic cells that line the airway, and then processed and presented to antigen-specific T cells. The subsequent production of cytokines stimulates B cells to produce antigen-specific IgE, which then binds to the surface of mast cells and basophils via the high-affinity receptor for IgE, namely Fc e RI [1] (Fig. 1a ). Upon repeat exposure to an inhaled antigen, there is cross-linking of IgE bound to the surface of mast cells and basophils. This interaction signals mast cells and basophils to degranulate, releasing mediators such as histamine, prostaglandin, and leukotrienes, and to stimulate chemokine and cytokine production. These mediators cause an early or acute phase reaction and, under some circumstances, can lead to a late-phase reaction. IgE is an immunoglobulin that consists of a variable and constant region. The variable region is the area that binds to the antigen. Within the constant region, CH e 3 contains the binding sites for the two different receptors, Fc e RI and Fc e RII (Fig. 2 ). Given the biological effects of IgE, a novel mechanism to treat allergic disease, including asthma, would be to block IgE and its actions. However, an antibody to IgE could either stimulate or block this molecule. The antibody could stimulate IgE if IgE were already bound to receptors on mast cells and basophils. If the antibody is subsequently attached to the bound IgE, it could cause the cross-linking of at least two IgE molecules with subsequent degranulation. Depending on the degree of degranulation, this response may result in an acute allergic reaction. However, if an antibody could block IgE from attaching to its receptors on mast cells and basophils, degranulation could be prevented. Omalizumab is such a molecule; it is an anti-IgE antibody that binds to IgE regardless of IgE specificity.
The role of lymph node dissection in the contemporary management of renal cell carcinoma: A critical appraisal of the evidence.

Abstract The role of lymph node dissection (LND) in the management of renal cell carcinoma has been controversial. Older studies provided initial support to a potential survival benefit in resection of lymph node metastases, and several predictive models were developed to identify patients with lymph node involvement. However, the only randomized trial on the subject did not report a survival benefit to LND in the nonmetastatic setting. Several studies have recently reexplored the therapeutic benefit of LND. In both nonmetastatic and metastatic settings, LND does not appear to be associated with a survival benefit. Moreover, it does not appear that LND confers a survival advantage to patients at increased risk of lymph node metastases, such as those with preoperative radiographic lymphadenopathy or across increasing probability of lymph node disease. Among patients with clinically isolated lymph node metastases, the majority develop disease progression following surgical resection, suggesting a high prevalence of occult systemic disease. Lymph node metastases appear to have prognostic value in both nonmetastatic and metastatic settings. LND may, therefore, have an increasingly important staging role in the management of renal cell carcinoma.
Why Peer Mentoring is an Effective Approach for Promoting College Student Success.

Both hierarchical (e.g. student-faculty member or student-adviser) and peer (e.g. student-student) mentoring are recognized as best-practice strategies for promoting college student success. Formal mentoring programs utilizing both approaches can be found on many campuses. In the current institutional context of scarce or stagnant resources, college and university presidents and administrators face the challenge of determining which mix of programs to support even though little comparative research on the effectiveness of these approaches exists. This article examines three characteristics of a peer mentoring approach that encourage its greater use. The first two characteristics, cost and the availability of a larger number of potential mentors, relate to concerns about the efficient use of resources. The third characteristic, development of a common perspective, relates to questions concerning the relative effectiveness of different mentoring approaches. Peer mentors and mentees are more likely than participants in hierarchical mentoring relationships to share a common perspective with regards to how they understand and enact the college student role. Differences in perspective impact the process of student identity acquisition, perceived mentor credibility, and the likelihood of mentees following their mentors’ advice. Higher education researchers are urged to conduct studies exploring the relative effectiveness of both approaches and how to best combine approaches in complimentary ways to help administrators make informed decisions.
When to Combine Television With Online Campaigns: Cost Savings Versus Extended Reach

ABSTRACT This work investigates under what circumstances a television campaign should be complemented with online advertising to increase combined reach. The authors first proposed probabilistic models to derive necessary and sufficient optimality conditions for the best media mix. They then relied on roughly 26,000 television campaigns to train classification models to decide whether a campaign should add online advertising. Linear and support vector regression models are used to predict optimal budget allocation, cost savings, and additional reach. The resulting meta-study yields simple, interpretable, and actionable rules that improve the understanding of media-mix advertising.
Dopamine Neurons Respond to Errors in the Prediction of Sensory Features of Expected Rewards.

Summary Midbrain dopamine neurons have been proposed to signal prediction errors as defined in model-free reinforcement learning algorithms. While these algorithms have been extremely powerful in interpreting dopamine activity, these models do not register any error unless there is a difference between the value of what is predicted and what is received. Yet learning often occurs in response to changes in the unique features that characterize what is received, sometimes with no change in its value at all. Here, we show that classic error-signaling dopamine neurons also respond to changes in value-neutral sensory features of an expected reward. This suggests that dopamine neurons have access to a wider variety of information than contemplated by the models currently used to interpret their activity and that, while their firing may conform to predictions of these models in some cases, they are not restricted to signaling errors in the prediction of value.
Transition due to Roughness on Blunt Capsule: Comparison with Transient Growth Correlation

The effect of uniformly distributed surface roughness on the onset of boundary-layer transition for a capsule geometry was experimentally investigated in a conventional hypersonic blowdown wind tun...
Determining total corneal power after small-incision lenticule extraction in myopic eyes.

Purpose To evaluate the methods to correct corneal power after myopic small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) and to estimate the preoperative corneal power based on postoperative values. Setting Tianjin Eye Hospital, Tianjin, China. Design Retrospective case series. Methods Equivalent keratometry (K) and mean K readings were obtained with the Pentacam HR. The clinical history method was used to calculate the theoretical postoperative K, which was then compared with equivalent K readings. In addition, the anterior–posterior (A–P) method was used to estimate the preoperative mean K. The agreement between computed and actual values was estimated using the Bland-Altman method. Results A significant correlation was observed between the theoretical postoperative K (38.52 diopters [D] ± 1.57 [SD]) and mean K after surgery (39.44 ± 1.43 D) (R2 = 0.9317, P Conclusions Equivalent K readings provided a relatively good estimation of corneal power in eyes after small-incision lenticule extraction. The A–P method might be an option to predict preoperative corneal power.
A 3D Nanostructured Hydrogel Framework-Derived High-Performance Composite Polymer Lithium-Ion Electrolyte

Solid-state electrolytes have emerged as a promising alternative to existing liquid electrolytes for next generation Li-ion batteries for better safety and stability. Of various types of solid electrolytes, composite polymer electrolytes exhibit acceptable Li-ion conductivity due to the interaction between nanofillers and polymer. Nevertheless, the agglomeration of nanofillers at high concentration has been a major obstacle for improving Li-ion conductivity. In this study, we designed a three-dimensional (3D) nanostructured hydrogel-derived Li0.35 La0.55 TiO3 (LLTO) framework, which was used as a 3D nanofiller for high-performance composite polymer Li-ion electrolyte. The systematic percolation study revealed that the pre-percolating structure of LLTO framework improved Li-ion conductivity to 8.8×10-5 S cm-1 at room temperature.
Biomechanical, Histologic, and Molecular Evaluation of Tendon Healing in a New Murine Model of Rotator Cuff Repair

Purpose To develop a clinically relevant, robust murine model of rotator cuff tendon repair to examine cellular and molecular mechanisms of healing. Methods Sixty C57BL/6 male mice underwent rotator cuff transection and repair using microsurgical techniques. A modified Kessler suturing technique was used prior to tendon detachment. Sutures were passed through 2 intersecting bone tunnels that were made at the tendon attachment site. Mice were sacrificed at 2 and 4 weeks with subsequent biomechanical, histologic, micro-CT, and gene expression evaluations. Results Failure forces in the 2- and 4-week groups were 36% and 75% of the intact tendon, respectively. Histologic evaluation revealed complete reattachment of the tendon with no observable gap. Healing occurred by formation of fibrovascular tissue at the tendon-bone interface, similar to larger animal models. Molecular analysis revealed gene expression consistent with gradual healing of the reattached tendon over a period of 4 weeks. Comparisons were made using 1-way analysis of variance. Conclusions This model is distinguished by use of microsurgical suturing techniques, which provides a robust, reproducible, and economic animal model to study various aspects of rotator cuff pathology. Clinical Relevance Improvement of clinical outcomes of rotator cuff pathology requires in-depth understanding of the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of healing. This study presents a robust murine model of supraspinatus repair to serve as a standard research tool for basic and translational investigations into signaling pathways, gene expression, and the effect of biologic augmentation approaches.
UConcordia: CLaC Negation Focus Detection at *Sem 2012

Simply detecting negation cues is not sufficient to determine the semantics of negation, scope and focus must be taken into account. While scope detection has recently seen repeated attention, the linguistic notion of focus is only now being introduced into computational work. The *Sem2012 Shared Task is pioneering this effort by introducing a suitable dataset and annotation guidelines. CLaC's NegFocus system is a solid baseline approach to the task.
Multi-objective history matching of surfactant-polymer flooding

Abstract Surfactant-polymer flooding is an effective process in extracting most of the original oil in place remained after conventional water flooding process. However, this technique is complicated and involves extensive screening and numerous experiments to find the optimum chemical composition, salinity, etc. Surfactant-polymer flood modeling can facilitate the optimization of the process, however, the inherently large parameter space results in great uncertainty and poor predictive capability. Here, by means of a novel approach using global sensitivity analysis, we reduce the parameter space of a typical surfactant-polymer flood model to facilitate model calibration and history matching process. To inform our analysis, we performed three Berea coreflood experiments with different slug designs and salinity profiles. The results from our coreflood experiments revealed and quantified the high sensitivity to salinity, underlying the importance of accurate phase behavior modeling. In addition to coreflood experimental data, we used an extensive set of laboratory data including polymer rheology, surfactant phase behavior, polymer permeability reduction, and capillary desaturation along with results from sensitivity analysis to build a mechanistic surfactant-polymer flood model. After modeling of sub-processes such as polymer flood model or phase behavior of our surfactant/oil/water system, through a multi-stage calibration algorithm, coreflood experimental data was used to build a thorough surfactant-polymer flood model where cumulative oil production and pressure profile were history matched simultaneously. Finally, we showed that our surfactant-polymer flood model has predictive capabilities with no need for ad hoc tuning of the model parameters by modeling two additional coreflood experiments where cumulative oil production and pressure profile matched those of experiments.
Promoting Wellness in People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Through Relationships

Social ties are essential to the health and wellness of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD); however, a better understanding of factors that promote and support the development of social relationships is needed to develop effective policies and interventions to promote wellness. Three factors that influence the formation and maintenance of social ties for people with IDD are individual capacity, interpersonal supports, and organizational or community supports. The benefits of a strong social network and the dangers of isolation have been well established in people with and without IDD. Yet, there is a lack of research and planning around how best to support people with IDD in developing and maintaining social relationships. Policy and organizational changes as well as increased research attention is needed to promote the health and wellness of people with IDD by nurturing relationships.
Motion Sensor-Based Assessment on Fall Risk and Parkinson's Disease Severity: A Deep Multi-Source Multi-Task Learning (DMML) Approach

Senior citizens face many challenges to their independent living. Fall and Parkinson's disease (PD) are among the most life-threatening events or conditions. Precise and prompt motion sensor-based assessments for fall risk and PD severity can lead to timely interventions that can relieve or ultimately eliminate the threats. However, past studies focus on ad hoc feature engineering, which is subjective and less transferrable to related domains. In this work, we propose a Deep Multi-source Multi-task Learning (DMML) approach that provides an integrated framework for sensor-based condition risk and severity assessment. We develop Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) to extract features from sensor signals. We collect timed up and go (TUG) test data at a neurology clinic to evaluate our model. Five sensors are attached to 22 PD patients to collect motion data throughout the test. Our model achieves F-measure of 0.940 for assessing fall risks, and RMSE of 0.060 for assessing PD severities, significantly outperforming the benchmark methods.
Timeline for Maximal Subjective Outcome Improvement After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Background:Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are one of the most common traumatic knee injuries experienced by athletes. Return to sport is considered the pinnacle endpoint among patients rece...
Recent developments in the use of one bond CC couplings in structure determination

Abstract The successful acquisition of experimental one-bond carbon-carbon couplings (1JCC) in natural abundance samples has become more feasible in recent years due to improvements in experimental pulse sequences, development of better probes and alternative approaches to data processing. Although these couplings are most commonly employed to establish 13C 13C connectivity in organic structures, recent work demonstrates that such structural studies can be further enhanced by including theoretical 1JCC couplings computed from a set of candidate structures. Early studies primarily focused on modelling configurational differences near C C X bonds (X = a lone pair containing heteroatom). Subsequent analyses have demonstrated that relative stereochemistry, molecular conformation and heteroatom identity can also be established from 1JCC data.
Tuning electronic and photocatalytic properties in pulsed light synthesis of Cu2ZnSnS4 films from CuS-ZnS-SnS nanoparticles

Abstract We investigate rapid in-situ synthesis of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films via Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) irradiation of solution-deposited and mixed binary CuS, ZnS, SnS nanoparticles (NPs) in ambient conditions. The film phase, composition, morphology, electrical properties, optical properties and photocatalytic activity are characterized as a function of the optical fluence. Crystalline pure-phase kesterite CZTS films with high p-type conductivity of 51 S/cm and optical band gap 1.42 eV are synthesized within 15 s. Surprisingly, using supra-optimal IPL fluence (in 19 s) yields films with a composite CZTS-SnO2/SnS2 composition that exhibits about 20% higher photocatalytic efficiency and higher carrier mobility (≈ 120 cm2/Vs) than pure-phase kesterite films. The reaction pathways during IPL irradiation and the resulting film composition are used to understand the enhanced photocatalysis for the supra-optimal fluence. This work will create new avenues for scalable IPL-based bottom-up synthesis of new multinary chalcogenide composites from their binary NPs.
Feasibility Study on the Utilization of Microsoft HoloLens to Increase Driving Conditions Awareness

In the future, “driverless” autonomous vehicles will replace traditional human-operated vehicles. However, we are still in the present where an average of eleven teenagers die every day in road accidents. Accidents are mostly caused when the driver needs to avert their gaze from the road. For example, they look at their phones for navigation information or weather conditions or at the dashboard to know their current speed. Most states have passed laws banning the use of cell phones during driving. Our goal is to increase awareness of the road and weather conditions while decreasing the time that the driver's attention is required. In this paper, we propose an augmented reality environment for drivers where important information are displayed in the form of Holograms. We also studied real-time object and lane detection to enhance the driver's ability to avoid collisions.
Is There a Role for Combination, Single-Session Selective Transarterial Embolization and Microwave Ablation for Large Renal Masses?

Thermal ablation of small renal tumors is safe and efficacious. Thermoablation of tumors greater than 3 cm has decreased efficacy and a greater risk of complications. Combined embolization and radiofrequency ablation has shown encouraging results. We report on the use of combined single-session transarterial embolization and microwave ablation to treat large renal masses. After obtaining IRB approval, a review of the medical record between October 2016 and January 2020 was performed. Patients with renal tumors who underwent combined transarterial embolization and microwave ablation were assessed retrospectively. Patient demographic information, intraoperative, postoperative, and follow-up data were recorded. Eleven patients were identified meeting inclusion criteria. The mean age was 73 years, with 64% male, an average BMI of 26.5, and average Charleston Comorbidity Index of 6.7. Nine tumors were identified as clear cell carcinoma, one as papillary carcinoma and one as an oncocytic neoplasm. Average tumor size was 4.5 cm (2.7–8.3), with an average RENAL score of 8.5. Successful ablation with a 5 mm margin was achieved in all patients, and in all cases, ablation and embolization were performed on the same day. The only related post-procedure complication was a single groin hematoma. Surveillance was performed with CT or MRI. Average follow-up was 419.5 days (range 27–747), with no patients showing evidence of recurrence to date. Combined single-session transarterial embolization and microwave ablation is technically feasible, safe, and efficacious in treating large renal tumors in a series of 11 patients with no recurrence to date. Level 4, case series.
Influence of porosity on the thermal, electrical, and mechanical performance of selective laser melted stainless steel

Abstract This study verifies a novel approach to determine the thermal conductivity developed by the first two authors (Tomanek and Stutts) [1] as applied to additively manufactured selective laser melted stainless steel 304L specimens having a range of 1.4 to seven percent porosity. The selective laser melting technique is highly dependent on the process parameters used, unlike traditionally manufactured materials, and can cause the thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties to vary considerably from the bulk alloy. For this study, the thermal conductivity and several auxiliary parameters were estimated using a Levenberg-Marquardt nonlinear least squares algorithm. The parameter estimation used a model of a one-dimensional transient heat diffusion PDE with a closed-form solution of a slender rod under forced convection. In addition to the thermal conductivity’s dependency on porosity, the correlated porosity dependency on electrical conductivity was examined. The results were corroborated by mechanical tensile tests as well. The stainless steel 304L selective laser melted specimens saw a degradation of mechanical, thermal, and electrical performance with increasing porosity.
Case series: Two cases of herpetic retinitis presenting as progressive outer retinal necrosis in immunocompetent individuals.

Abstract Purpose To raise awareness of ophthalmologists that Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) retinitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of retinitis that presents with features of progressive outer retinal necrosis (PORN) in healthy immunocompetent patients. Observations Case 1 is a 39-year-old healthy Caucasian male who presented after one week of decreased vision in the left eye. Patient was found to have optic disc edema and multifocal retinitis primarily localized to the posterior pole with only a few lesions in the periphery and minimal vitritis. Viral PCR of a vitreous tap was positive for 1 million copies of VZV. Patient ultimately progressed to no light perception vision despite multiple intravitreal injections of foscarnet and several days of intravenous acyclovir therapy. Case 2 is another 39-year-old healthy Caucasian male that presented after 2 weeks of decreased vision in the left eye. On initial exam by his primary ophthalmologist, patient was found to have optic disc edema and multifocal retinitis primarily localized to the posterior pole with no peripheral lesions and no vitritis. The patient then presented to our clinic with extensive retinitis throughout the posterior pole and periphery, and he underwent a vitreous tap with viral PCR positive for 3160 copies of VZV. He was treated with intravitreal injections of foscarnet and intravenous acyclovir therapy with subtle progression to the right eye and only minimal improvement of left eye vision to 20/200. Conclusions and Importance Progressive outer retinal necrosis (PORN) is a herpetic retinopathy characterized by rapidly progressive necrosis of the outer retina in severely immunocompromised subjects. As demonstrated in this case series, VZV retinitis should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients with hallmark features of PORN, even in the absence of obvious systemic immunosuppression.
A high-throughput and highly automated genotoxicity screening assay.

The increasing number of compounds under development and chemicals in commerce that require safety assessments pose a serious challenge for regulatory agencies worldwide. In vitro screening using toxicogenomic biomarkers has been proposed as a first-tier screen in chemical assessments and has been endorsed internationally. We previously developed, evaluated, and validated an in vitro transcriptomic biomarker responsive to DNA-damage-inducing (DDI) agents, namely TGx-DDI, for genotoxicity testing in human cells, and demonstrated the feasibility of using TGx-DDI in a medium-throughput, cell-based genotoxicity testing system by implementing this biomarker with the Nanostring nCounter system. In this current study, we took the advantage of Nanostring nCounter Plexset technology to develop a highly automated, multiplexed, and high-throughput genotoxicity testing assay, designated as the TGx-DDI Plexset assay, which can increase the screening efficiency by eight-fold compared to standard nCounter technology while decreasing the hands-on time. We demonstrated the high-throughput capability of this assay by eliminating concentration determination and RNA extraction steps without compromising the specificity and sensitivity of TGx-DDI. Thus, we propose that this simple, highly automated, multiplexed high-throughput pipeline can be widely used in chemical screening and assessment.
Two concepts of meritocracy: telic and procedural

Most critics of our contemporary meritocratic practices and institutions believe their arguments speak to the defects of the ideal of meritocracy itself. I argue that this is a misguided generaliza...
Risk factors and outcomes of deep tissue Candida invasion in neonates with invasive candidiasis.

Background Deep tissue Candida invasion represents a special entity among neonates with invasive candidiasis. We aimed to explore the risk factors and clinical outcomes for deep tissue Candida invasion among neonates with invasive candidiasis. Methods A retrospective data review of neonates admitted to NICU of Madinah maternity and children hospital, KSA from January 2012 to December 2019 was done. Data were analysed between infants with or without deep tissue candidiasis among infants with invasive candidiasis. Invasive candidiasis was defined as positive blood or catheter collected urine culture for Candida. Deep tissue Candida invasion was defined as an infection of the central nervous system, eyes, heart, skeletal system, lungs, liver or kidneys. Result A total of 14 (11%) out of 130 neonates with invasive candidiasis had deep tissue Candida invasion. Persistent positive blood culture for Candida [OR 15.2, 95% CI (2.0-114), p = .01], prematurity [OR 7.6, 95% CI (1.04-56.4), p = .04] and prolonged antibiotic duration [OR 1.3, 95% CI (1.02-1.6), p = .03] are independent risk factors for deep tissue Candida invasion. Deep tissue Candida invasion was associated with significantly higher rates of cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, heart failure and longer length of hospital stay compared to infants without deep tissue invasion. Conclusion Persistent Candida growth in blood cultures, prematurity and long-term antibiotic use are significant risk factors for deep tissue Candida invasion. Deep tissue Candida invasion is associated with prolonged hospital stay and higher neonatal morbidity.
Darwinism in Philosophy, Social Science and Policy

A collection of essays by Alexander Rosenberg, the distinguished philosopher of science. The essays cover three broad areas related to Darwinian thought and naturalism: the first deals with the solution of philosophical problems such as reductionism, the second with the development of social theories, and the third with the intersection of evolutionary biology with economics, political philosophy, and public policy. Specific papers deal with naturalistic epistemology, the limits of reductionism, the biological justification of ethics, the so-called 'trolley problem' in moral philosophy, the political philosophy of biological endowments, and the Human Genome Project and its implications for policy. Rosenberg's important writings on a variety of issues are here organized into a coherent philosophical framework which promises to be a significant and controversial contribution to scholarship in many areas.
COMPARISON OF ANNUAL STREAMFLOW MODELS

The operational importance of the form of an annual synthetic streamflow model and the level of its parameters was investigated. Both short-term and long-term memory models were used to generate flow traces which were run through the Thomas-Fiering Sequent Peak Algorithm. Population parameters were used in the models in all cases. Operation life was held constant at 40 yrs. The coupled flow generation-flow demand situations examined showed the marginal distribution parameters to be much more important, even in cases where substantial long-term persistence is present, than had earlier been thought. The most important conclusion to be drawn from the tests is that the effect of uncertainty in any of the model parameters cannot be dismissed a priori; failure to accurately estimate and model the marginal distribution as well as the correlation structure of flow may result in substantial design errors. /ASCE/
Duty, Opportunity, Lost Cat

I pick the photocopy off the front porch, glance at the cat's face star ing out at me, and almost crumple the sheet immediately (in the inter est of conserving energy for the real business of life). But I hesitate. "Please Help Me!" begs the cat, the cat named Sutu. And so I toss the flier near the jumble by the telephone. I've got to perform some social duties, after all. I can't persist in always being such a curmudgeon. Sutu. That's a splendid name for a cat. And the nine year old, my daughter, will be interested; she's more community-minded than I am. She writes letters to Bill Clinton and Hillary and she waits for the form letter replies. "I need a handsome dad like Bill Clinton," she mutters darkly in my direction. I am stunned at her perspicacity, for yes, she's right: he's attractive, every excessive ounce of him, every groomed and gleaming energetic iota. I remember myself at about my daughter's age, no, a bit younger, thinking Richard Nixon was good looking and mentioning it to my mother. I can still see the appalled look she gave me. "No, no," she said, "he's the handsome one, that one," she snapped, making stabbing jabs at the TV image of a debating Jack Kennedy. I hung around the living room through all those de bates so I could steal glances now and then at Tricky Dicky. My mom was wrong. Tricky was far more attractive. I was five or six. Tricky was a dreamboat.
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography

While endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography has become almost exclusively a therapeutic procedure, obtaining high-quality cholangiograms is still an integral part of endoscopic retrograde cho
The New Parochialism: The Implications of the Beltway Case for Arguments Concerning Informal Social Control1

This article presents a five‐year ethnographic study of informal social control in the Chicago neighborhood “Beltway,” where controls at the private and what has traditionally been known as the parochial level are weaker and less important than heretofore assumed. In addition, the parochial and the public arenas are inseparable from each other, not independent as others have argued. Instead, informal social control in Beltway is characterized by what the author calls the “new parochialism,” where diminished private and traditionally parochial forms of social control are replaced by a combination of parochial and public controls. The new parochialism is occasioned by wider societal and local changes, and the concept is shown to have theoretical and empirical implications.
Tritium Production in a Sphere of 6LiD Irradiated by 14-MeV Neutrons

The specific production of tritium in samples of /sup 6/LiH and /sup 7/LiH embedded in a 600-mm-diam sphere of /sup 6/LiD irradiated by a central source of 14-MeV neutrons was determined by measuring the activity of the hydrogen evolved from the samples of each isotope at each of five different radii in the /sup 6/LiD assembly. The entire process of decomposing the LiH, transferring the evolved gas into counters, and determining the decay rate was standardized by processing LiH samples irradiated by thermal neutrons for which the /sup 6/Li(n,..cap alpha..) cross section is well known. The specific production of tritium in /sup 6/LiH and /sup 7/LiH (embedded samples) and the activation of radiochemical detector foils of /sup 45/Sc, /sup 89/Y, /sup 90/Zr, /sup 169/Tm, /sup 191/Ir /sub 373/, /sup 193/Ir /sub 627/, /sup 197/Au, /sup 235/U, and /sup 238/U placed at various positions in the /sup 6/LiD sphere were calculated and compared with the experimental data. One- and three-dimensional Monte Carlo and S/sub n/ neutron-transport calculations were performed. The most reliable (three-dimensional Monte Carlo) calculation is in reasonable agreement with both the tritium-production and the radiochemical-activation data. The existing discrepancies between calculation and experiment appear largely attributable to uncertainties inmore » some tritium-production and radiochemical-activation cross sections. 15 references.« less
Scanning objects in the wild: assessing an object triggered information system

We describe the results of a field deployment of the AURA system which links online content to physical objects through machine readable tags. AURA runs on commercially available pocket computers using integrated bar-code scanners, wireless networks, and web services. We conducted a real world deployment with twenty participants over five weeks. The results from our field study illustrate the importance of moving beyond demonstrations and testing system design assumptions in the real world, as our field study highlighted several places that our seemingly reasonable design assumption did not match with real usage. Our experience deploying AURA highlighted several key features for mobile object triggered information systems including handling groups of items and a robust offline experience.
Computability of countable subshifts

The computability of countable subshifts and their members is examined. Results include the following. Subshifts of Cantor-Bendixson rank one contain only eventually periodic elements. Any rank one subshift, in which every limit point is periodic, is decidable. Sub-shifts of rank two may contain members of arbitrary Turing degree. In contrast, effectively closed (Π10) subshifts of rank two contain only computable elements, but Π10 subshifts of rank three may contain members of arbitrary c. e. degree. There is no subshift of rank ω.
Cosmologists Celebrate the Death of Defects

EARLY UNIVERSECosmologists are sounding the death knell for one of the two main theories vying to explain how the universe unfolded in the fraction of a second after the big bang. Based on measurements of the cosmic microwave background, the radio hiss that reveals the contours of the early universe, the cosmological model known as defect theory has itself been found to be defective. Far from discouraging theorists, however, the news is seen as heralding a new era in which cosmologists can test their theories against data from new generations of ground- and space-based instruments.
Software metric classification trees help guide the maintenance of large-scale systems

The 80:20 rule states that approximately 20% of a software system is responsible for 80% of its errors. The authors propose an automated method for generating empirically-based models of error-prone software objects. These models are intended to help localize the troublesome 20%. The method uses a recursive algorithm to automatically generate classification trees whose nodes are multivalued functions based on software metrics. The purpose of the classification trees is to identify components that are likely to be error prone or costly, so that developers can focus their resources accordingly. A feasibility study was conducted using 16 NASA projects. On average, the classification trees correctly identified 79.3% of the software modules that had high development effort or faults. >
Political Risk Assessment: A Review and a New Approach

With the trend toward globalization, political risk assessment has become an essential task for international marketing managers in making decisions with regard to whether and how to enter a foreign market. Although the interest in political risk assessment surged and the corresponding assessment techniques proliferated following the international political chaos in 1970s, it is surprising that up to date, knowledge of political risk analysis is still fragmented. Given the uncertain nature of current international political environment and its potential influence on foreign investment projects and collaborations, it is worthwhile to reevaluate the existing knowledge of political risk assessment and identify a direction for future inquiry. The purpose of this article is of twofold. First, a critical review of the political risk assessment methods is presented. Second, a new direction, i.e., the potential of case research approach, for political risk assessment is elaborated.