cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cognitive and neural constraints on theories of language production

This paper introduces a special issue on language production, which features work presented at the Seventh International Workshop on Language Production (New York, USA, July 2012). One key theme of the workshop was the importance of examining language production within the context of other cognitive domains and the need to consider multiple perspectives to understand how language production works. This approach to understanding production with respect to other cognitive domains is addressed in three papers in this volume, which focus on the interaction of theories of production with gesture; executive control and theories of speech perception. In addition, two papers focus on interaction among levels of production of lexical items. This includes an imaging investigation contributing to our understanding of a well-known effect on lexical retrieval and a review article on the representation of number. This introduction addresses some of the more general themes in these papers and in language production rese...
Weighing Neutrinos with Galaxy Surveys

We show that galaxy redshift surveys sensitively probe the neutrino mass, with eV mass neutrinos suppressing power by a factor of 2. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey can potentially detect $N$ nearly degenerate massive neutrino species with mass ${m}_{\ensuremath{\nu}}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}0.65({\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{m}{h}^{2}/0.1N{)}^{0.8}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$ at better than $2\ensuremath{\sigma}$ once microwave background experiments measure two other cosmological parameters. Significant overlap exists between this region and that implied by the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector experiment, and even ${m}_{\ensuremath{\nu}}\ensuremath{\sim}0.01--0.1\mathrm{eV}$, as implied by the atmospheric anomaly, can affect cosmological measurements.
Search for the Z ∗ in π - + p → K - + Z ∗ at 6 and 8 GeV/c

Abstract We have looked for strangeness +1 baryons, Z ∗ 's, in the reaction π − + p → K − + Z ∗ . Peaks at missing masses of about 1590 MeV and 1950 MeV are interpreted as reflections of boson decays and upper limits have been assigned for Z ∗ production.
Genetic Characterization of Rebounding Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 in Plasma during Multiple Interruptions of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

Various strategies of interrupting highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) are being investigated for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Interruptions of greater than 2 weeks frequently result in rebound of plasma HIV RNA. In order to discern changes in the viral population that might occur during cycles of treatment interruption, we evaluated the homology of HIV-1 envelope gene sequences over time in 12 patients who received four to seven cycles of 4 weeks off HAART followed by 8 weeks on HAART by using the heteroduplex tracking assay and novel statistical tools. HIV populations in 9 of 12 patients diverged from those found in the first cycle in at least one subsequent cycle. The substantial genetic changes noted in HIV env did not correlate with increased or decreased log changes in levels of plasma HIV RNA (P > 0.5). Thus, genetic changes in HIV env itself did not contribute in a systematic way to changes in levels of plasma viremia from cycle to cycle of treatment interruption. In addition, the data suggest that there may be multiple compartments contributing to the rebound of plasma viremia and to viral diversity from cycle to cycle of intermittent therapy.
The Wound Microbiome: Modern Approaches to Examining the Role of Microorganisms in Impaired Chronic Wound Healing

Significance: Bacterial burden is believed to play a significant role in impaired wound healing of chronic wounds and the development of infection-related complications. The standard of care in the clinic relies upon cultivation-dependent methods to identify microorganisms. These assays are biased toward microorganisms that thrive in isolation under laboratory conditions. Recent Advances: Significant advances in genomic technologies have enabled less-biased, culture-independent approaches to characterize microbial communities, or microbiomes. The aggregate sequencing and analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA genes has demonstrated that cultures under-represent true microbial diversity and load. Critical Issues: Despite recent advances that enable culture-independent analyses of microbiomes, those organisms that are important in impaired healing remain ambiguous. Inconsistent findings across various studies highlight the need to characterize microbiomes of chronic wounds with homogenous etiology to determine differences in microbiomes that may be driven by the wound environment and that may affect wound outcomes. Rigorous analyses of wound microbiomes in light of the three dimensions of bioburden (microbial diversity, microbial load, and pathogenic organisms), clinical metadata, and wound outcomes will be a significant step forward in our quest to understand the role of microorganisms in impaired healing. Future Directions: Longitudinal studies employing serial sampling are needed to appreciate the role of the dynamic microbial community in chronic wound healing. The value of clinical metadata needs to be examined as potential biomarkers of problematic microbiota and wound outcomes. Lastly, better characterization and understanding of wound microbiomes will open avenues for improved diagnostic and therapeutic tools for the nonhealing wound.
Childhood sexual trauma and psychosocial functioning in adults with schizophrenia.

Objective: This study explored the association between sexual abuse in childhood and the severity of psychosocial deficits in adults with schizophrenia. Methods: The Quality of Life Scale, which assesses current interpersonal and work function, and the NEO personality inventory, which assesses personality dimensions relevant to social functioning, were administered to 54 individuals who had been diagnosed as having schizophrenia. Nineteen of the individuals reported having been sexually abused as children, and 35 reported no history of abuse. Results: A multiple analysis of variance indicated that there were differences between the group of individuals who had a history of sexual trauma and the group that did not. Subsequent univariate analysis of variance indicated that the individuals with a history of abuse had poorer current role functioning and fewer of the basic psychological building blocks necessary for sustaining intimacy. They also demonstrated higher levels of neuroticism, which is a measure of vulnerability to emotional turmoil. The two groups did not differ in frequency of interpersonal contacts or level of extroversion. Conclusions: Sexual abuse in childhood is associated with poorer psychosocial functioning in adults with schizophrenia. (Psychiatric Services 52:1485–1488, 2001)
MHD modeling of plasma compression to high pressure with capacitive-driven solid shell implosions

Isotropic high-pressure plasma could be used to compress targets for equation of state studies, for generating fusion reactions, for accelerating projectiles to high speed and for other high-energy density endeavors. One way to generate such high-pressure plasma is to compress a modest pressure gas via implosion of a solid shell by a pulsed electrical discharge. The pressure of an ideal gas characterized by a constant ratio of specific heats /spl Gamma/ that is undergoing adiabatic compression scales as /spl rho//sup /spl Gamma// where /spl rho/ is the mass density. Whereas /spl Gamma/ may not be constant for realistic compressing plasmas, it is certainly always greater than unity. Since the ratio of final to initial mass density can be greater for spherical compression than for cylindrical compression, spherical compression offers an opportunity to achieve substantial pressure increase. Quasi-spherical compression of a solid shell has been achieved in the laboratory and, in this paper, we discuss in detail numerical simulations that were used to guide and interpret such experiments. The numerical simulations are performed with MACH2; an unsteady resistive-MHD code for materials that may exist in any of the solid, liquid, gas and plasma states. These simulations illustrate how Mbar pressures can be achieved in the laboratory using presently available pulsed power technology.
Lack of Use in the Literature From the Last 20 Years Supports Dropping Traditional Schizophrenia Subtypes From DSM-5 and ICD-11

The diagnoses of paranoia, catatonia, and hebephrenia preceded the use of dementia praecox and Bleuler's subsequent recognition of a heterogenous "Group of Schizophrenias." With some modification, traditional schizophrenia subtypes have been formalized for many years in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) classification systems. While widely used in the past, it is not clear that the schizophrenia subtypes remain in wide use or are influential in 21st-century research and clinical practice, and especially in the scientific literature. A review of published articles reveals over the last 20 years (1990, 2000, 2010) the use of traditional subtypes in the literature has fallen from 27.7% to 9.8% to 6.5%. Thus, by 2010, the use of subtypes in the leading literature venues declined to <10%. These facts strongly support DSM-5 and ICD-11 proposed elimination of traditional schizophrenia subtypes from a research and evolving knowledge perspective because traditional subtypes are simply no longer being used much in the scientific literature.
Altruism towards cousins

Recent research on kin investment shows a matrilateral bias as a function of paternity uncertainty. Kin investment, however, is a special case of kin altruism. We thus hypothesize that psychological adaptations have evolved to regulate cousin-directed altruism according to predictably variable levels of paternity uncertainty in different categories of cousins. We develop a formal mathematical model that predicts that individuals should be most willing to act altruistically towards their mother9s sister9s (MoSis) children and least willing to act altruistically towards their father9s brother9s (FaBro) children. Altruism towards father9s sister9s (FaSis) and mother9s brother9s (MoBro) children are predicted to fall in between. An empirical study ( N =195), assessing expressed altruistic proclivities, confirmed the predictions from the model. Participants expressed willingness-to-help following the descending order: (i) MoSis children, (ii) MoBro children, (iii) FaSis children, and (iv) FaBro children. The psychological variables of emotional closeness, empathic concern and contact frequency showed precisely the same pattern across distinct cousins, providing convergent confirmation of the model. The results support the hypothesis of cousin-specific adaptations sensitive to varying probabilities of paternity uncertainty.
Observation of high-gain nonlinear acousto-optic amplification.

We describe a procedure by which the optical and acoustic waves present in an acousto-optic beam deflector are strongly amplified through nonlinear optical pumping. This amplification is manifested as an increase in the diffraction efficiency of an acousto-optic beam deflector. In particular, we describe the design and experimental test of a prototype TeO2 device in which this diffraction efficiency was increased by more than 2 orders of magnitude under pulsed laser illumination. This high degree of amplification results from an acoustic gain mechanism that counteracts the usual attenuation of sound waves propagating in an acousto-optic medium. We discuss possible applications of this gain mechanism in a new class of nonlinear acousto-optic device.
Simulation of atmospheric pressure ionization waves propagating through flexible capillary tubes and impinging onto a target

Summary form only given. Atmospheric pressure, low temperature plasmas (APPs) have are being investigated for biomedical applications such as sterilization, wound healing, cell manipulation and cancer therapy. The generation and propagation of APPs in a flexible capillary tube not only has direct applications, such as catheter sterilization, but also provides a viable way of transporting plasma and its active species to remote, specific targeted areas. When incorporated with various endoscopic devices, remotely delivered plasmas through capillaries potentially open new door for treating internal disease with APPs. To investigate their fundamental properties, we carried out numerical simulations of the generation of APPs by posi tive and negative voltage pulses, their rapid propagation through long, flexible and bent capillary tubes (20 cm length, 500 μm wide, 400:1 aspect ratio) in the form of an ionization wave, and their final exit from the capillary tube, impinging onto a target. Different gas mixtures, including Ne/Xe=99/1 were investigated. The numerical simulation platform is nonPDPSIM, a 2-dimensional plasma hydrodynamics model with radiation transport. Continuity equations for charged and neutral species, and Poisson's equation are solved coinci dent with the electron energy equation with transport coeffi cients obtained from solutions of Boltzmann's equation. The ionization front in the capillary appears to be bullet like and its propagation speed varies between l-5xl07 cm-s"1 as it traverses different capillary sections with varying radii and directions of curvature slower for small radii and con cave paths. These trends are likely a consequence of surface charging and the extent of photoionization ahead of the ava lanche front. The plasma tends to hug the walls of the smaller curvature, changing from side-to-side to follow the smaller curvature. Propagation speeds are a function of the width of the capillary. The electrical structure of the ionization front, including the electrical field, electron density and electron temperature will be discussed. The impingement of the exiting ionization front on the target and the resulting density distribution of various charged and neutral species will also be discussed.
Protein kinases in mammary gland development and cancer

Protein kinases, the enzymes responsible for phosphorylation of a wide variety of proteins, are the largest class of genes known to regulate growth, development, and neoplastic transformation of mammary gland. Mammary gland growth and maturation consist of a series of highly ordered events involving interactions among several distinct cell types that are regulated by complex interactions among many steroid hormones and growth factors. The mammary gland is one of the few organ systems in mammals that complete their morphologic development postnatally during two discrete physiologic states, puberty and pregnancy. Thus, the mammary gland is an excellent model for studying normal development and the early steps of tumor formation. The susceptibility of the mammary gland to tumorigenesis is influenced by its normal development, particularly during stages of puberty and pregnancy. Numerous experimental and epidemiological studies have suggested that specific details in the development of the mammary gland play a critical role in breast cancer risk. Mammary gland development is characterized by dynamic changes in the expression and functions of protein kinases. Perturbations in the regulated expression or function of protein kinases or their associated signaling pathways can lead to malignant transformation of the breast. For example, overexpression of several receptor-tyrosine kinases, including human epidermal growth factor receptor and HER2/Neu, has been shown to contribute to the development of breast cancer. Since receptor-tyrosine kinases regulate several essential processes such as mitogenesis, motility, invasion, cell survival, and angiogenesis, targeting receptor-tyrosine kinases may have important implications in designing strategies against breast cancer.
Perceived Benefits of Mentoring in Pediatric Psychology: A Qualitative Approach

Objective To identify tangible and intangible benefits of mentoring cited by a select group of identified mentors. Methods Twenty frequently named mentors within pediatric psychology provided responses to open-ended questions regarding benefits they have experienced through the mentoring process. Results Mentors identified many personal and professional benefits of the mentoring relationship, although they did not clearly distinguish between tangible and intangible advantages to the relationship. The most commonly reported benefits included career development of the mentee, mentor’s career enhancement, and a sense of giving back to the field of pediatric psychology. Conclusions A bidirectional definition of mentoring more accurately describes the relationship than a more traditional unidirectional definition. These results suggest that mentors experience a wide variety of benefits that could be examined more closely within the field.
Monitoring Arterial Blood Pressure: What You May Not Know

and mismanagement. The results of a recent pilot study 1 at 2 university-affiliated hospitals suggested a knowledge deficit in arterial pressure monitoring and some of the most basic aspects of hemodynamic monitoring. A total of 391 critical care nurses practicing in various critical care specialties were invited to participate in the study. The response rate was 17.4% (n = 68). Most of the participants were between the ages of 30 and 39 years (56.1%) and had a baccalaureate degree as their
Critical Evaluation of Crispy and Crunchy Textures: A Review

Crispness and crunchiness are important factors in the enjoyment of many foods, but they are defined differently among dictionaries, consumers, and researchers. Sensory, mechanical, and acoustic methods have been used to provide data on crispness and crunchiness. Sensory measurements include biting force and sound intensity. Mechanical techniques resemble mastication and include flex, shear, and compression. Acoustical techniques measure frequency, intensity, and number of sound events. Water and oil content contribute to crispness and crunchiness, which also have temporal aspects. Information in the literature is compared in this article to develop definitions of crispness and crunchiness.
Social Network Diagramming as an Applied Tool for Public Health: Lessons Learned From an HCV Cluster.

Objectives. We present an applied example of social network diagramming from 2010 to 2012 that was used to guide follow-up in a large HCV cluster in rural Wisconsin.Methods. In addition to collecting standard individual-level attributes, we also obtained partner-level information. Both sets of data were input into a network diagramming program to create a series of diagrams that emphasized variables, such as risk factors, key location in the network, and number of partners.Results. The visualization and cluster analysis guided testing and intervention priorities, were useful in sharing de-identified information about the cluster between health departments and community organizations and illustrated the key role young females played in holding the cluster together.Conclusions. Social network diagramming should be considered a practical and important public health tool for use in cluster management.
Tree Encroachment on Meadows of the North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, U.S.A

We analyzed attributes of tree encroachment on montane meadows and subalpine grasslands on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Species composition, age, density, height, diameter, condition class, and patterns of tree establishment were examined on belt transects at 12 meadow sites. Of the 3481 live and dead trees sampled, 52% of all trees were Populus tremuloides, 20% were Picea spp., 11% were Abies lasiocarpa, 10% were Abies concolor, and 7% were Pinus ponderosa. Tree densities averaged 4703 trees ha � 1 . Sixtytwo percent of the trees sampled were less than 20 yr of age, although some species established in the early and mid-1800s. Ninety-one percent of all trees, however, established after the mid-1930s, with the greatest establishment occurring after the early 1970s. Of this 91%, Populus tremuloides composed the majority (90%) of recent tree recruitment, with a mean establishment date of 1983–1984. A general pattern of progressively younger trees from the closed forest toward the meadow interiors was detected for some species, and together with little evidence of historical tree occurrence (e.g., large standing dead, downed logs, etc.) on the transects, indicated that trees had been encroaching on these meadows since the 1800s. These trends suggest a loss of important meadow habitat and landscape biodiversity within Grand Canyon National Park during the past century.
A penalty function method for exploratory adaptive-critic neural network control

A constrained penalty function method for exploratory adaptive-critic neural network (NN) control is presented. While constrained approximate dynamic programming has been effective to guarantee closed-loop system performance and stability objectives, in the presence of a change in the plant dynamics it may not have the necessary plasticity to explore and fully adapt to the new behaviors of the plant, if these violate the constraints. A generalized constrained approach is introduced to overcome these limitations. Through this methodology it is shown that NNs are not only capable to acquire new plasticity when necessary, but also can adjust their parametric structure reducing their hidden nodes and becoming more computationally efficient.
Cardiovascular effects of vecuronium, atracurium, pancuronium, metocurine and RGH‐420 1 in dogs

The effect on the cardiovascular haemodynamic status of five neuromuscular blocking drugs, RGH-4201, vecuronium, atracurium, pancuronium and metocurine, was studied in five conditioned foxhounds anaesthetised with fentanyl. Changes in heart rate, mean arterial blood pressure, central venous pressure, mean pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, and cardiac output were recorded at 2, 5, 10, 20 and 30 min after administration of the drugs. From these, stroke volume, systemic vascular resistance and pulmonary vascular resistance were calculated. Administration of RGH-4201 was followed by a pronounced increase in heart rate, accompanied by an increase in cardiac output and a decrease in systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance. Metocurine and pancuronium resulted in a decrease of right and left filling pressures and systemic-/pulmonary vascular resistance. Changes after atracurium, vecuronium and metocurine were minimal. It is concluded that RGH-4201 causes major alterations in the cardiovascular haemodynamic status in dogs anaesthetised with fentanyl when compared to vecuronium, atracurium, metocurine and pancuronium. With respect to cardiovascular stability, atracurium and vecuronium offer advantages.
Myosin in Cultured Human Endothelial Cells

Myosin was isolated from cultured human endothelial cells by extraction with 0.6 M KCl and chromatography on Sepharose 4B. The extracted endothelial cell protein was identified as myosin by the characteristic ATPase profile, that is, the ATPase was activated by Ca2 + and EDTA and inhibited by Mg2 +. On sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the endothelial cell myosin heavy chain migrated with a molecular weight of 200 000 as did rabbit uterine and human platelet myosin heavy chains. A crude preparation of the endothelial cell myosin reacted immunologically with an antiserum to platelet myosin, a smooth muscle type of myosin. In indirect immunofluorescence studies, antiserum to the purified endothelial cell myosin stained cultured endothelial cells in a fibrillar pattern. The fibrillar pattern was more intense when the endothelial cells were stained with antiserum to platelet myosin. The presence of myosin in the endothelial cell provides a basis for the contractility of these cells. This contractile property may plan an important role in the physiologic function of these cells.
Yannis Tsividis, Educator

The great universities offer more than a collection of excellent courses and research achievements. A unique culture ?a personality?characterizes the institutions that consistently bring out the best in their students and earn their loyalty after graduation. Like-minded faculty and administration can develop this personality in an emergent process, but a consistent, dedicated voice is most effective in shaping it and preserving its fundamental character while letting it evolve with the times and the students. Yannis Tsividis has been that voice in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Columbia University for almost 40 years. Today, the entire Engineering School is enjoying a burst of innovation, with Yannis leading its efforts in education.
MIGRATORY BIRDS CAN USE A DRINK

![Figure][1] Migration can be quite a challenge for birds traversing large oceans or vast deserts. Many migrants fatten up before they start their journey. Still, especially small birds also need to refuel once they are underway. If you can deposit energy quickly during stopovers, you
Linear Stability Analysis of Compressible Channel Flow over Porous Walls

We have investigated the effects of permeable walls, modeled by linear acoustic impedance with zero reactance, on compressible channel flow via linear stability analysis. Base flow profiles are taken from impermeable isothermal-wall laminar and turbulent channel flow simulations at bulk Reynolds number, Re b = 6900 and Mach numbers, M b = 0. 2, 0.5, 0.85. For a sufficiently high value of wall-permeability, two dominant modes are made unstable: a bulk pressure mode, associated with symmetric expulsion and suction of mass from the porous walls (Mode 0); a standing-wave-like mode, with a pressure node at the centerline (Mode I). In the case of turbulent mean flow profiles, both modes generate additional Reynolds shear stresses augmenting the (base) turbulent ones, but concentrated in the viscous sublayer region; the trajectories of the two modes in the complex phase velocity space follow each other closely for values of wall permeability spanning two orders of magnitude, suggesting their coexistence. The transition from subcritical to supercritical permeability does not alter the structure of the two modes for the range of streamwise wavenumbers investigated, suggesting that wall permeability simply accentuates pre-existing otherwise stable modes. Results from the present investigation will inform future studies of compressible turbulent boundary layers over assigned wall-impedance.
A socio-cultural reframing of science and dis/ability in education: past problems, current concerns, and future possibilities

In this article we assert the value of a socio-cultural reframing of science and dis/ability in education. We begin by problematizing current issues in education pertaining to the often-unquestioned concept of dis/ability and the impact that has upon research, theory, practice, and policy. As our topic is broad, we have chosen to focus upon four interconnected areas: (1) the historical mistrust of science and pseudo-science by people with dis/abilities; (2) the pervasive use of pseudo-science within the contemporary field of special education; (3) the use of dis/ability studies in education (DSE) to provide a contrast between a traditional positivist framing and a socio-cultural framing of dis/ability, and; (4) a brief exploration of what a DSE/socio-cultural grounding looks like for both schools and classroom teachers. In sum, our intention is to engage science educators to reject deficit-notions of dis/ability in favor of understanding it as part of human variation, and consider the personal and professional benefits of this shift.
Challenges and Opportunities for International Students in Graduate Education

International students pursuing graduate education in U.S. institutes have been rapidly increasing in recent years. Students from all over the world remarkably contribute to the advancement of U.S. economy and technology. This article addresses the challenges and opportunities international students face during and after graduate education. The challenges include overcoming the barriers with regard to language, culture, and employment. Along with these challenges are numerous opportunities such as introducing a different culture to U.S. college campuses, facilitating long-term academic and business collaboration, and obtaining enriched working experiences in the global job market. Strategies and recommendations to attain academic and occupational success are also discussed.
Overnight Hospital Experiences for Medical Students: Results of the 2014 Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine National Survey.

Since the 2011 Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) work hour rules for residents were implemented, 24–30 h call for interns has been replaced by shift work, including night-float. The impact of these changes on undergraduate medical education experiences in internal medicine has not been described. We aimed to determine the current status of medical students’ overnight experiences in Internal Medicine clerkships and sub-internships, and to assess internal medicine educators’ perceptions of the importance of overnight work during internal medicine rotations. In May 2014, the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM) conducted its annual survey. Twenty-eight questions about student participation in overnight work and perceptions of the importance of overnight work (rated on 1–5 Likert scale, 1 = very unimportant and 5 = very important) were included. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize responses. Free text results were analyzed qualitatively. The response rate was 78 %. A minority of respondents reported students having any overnight experience during the clerkship (38.7 %) or the sub-internship (40.7 %). Only 5 % of respondents reported having students assigned to night-float rotations outside of clerkships or sub-internships. Respondents agreed that overnight experiences were more important during the sub-internship than the clerkship, 4.0 ± 1.1 vs. 3.2 ± 1.2, p < 0.001. Admitting new patients, following their course and responding to emergencies were rated as important overnight tasks for both clerkship and sub-internship students. Overnight experiences offer students additional educational opportunities. Clerkship directors felt that the overnight experience for the sub-intern in particular was an important chance to practice providing emergency cross coverage and other intern roles. In the era of ACGME duty hours, there is a need to further examine whether there is a role for increased overnight hospital experiences for medical students.
Advances in nutritional delivery interventions

Abstract Enteral feeding is the preferred method of nutrition support when oral feeding is inadequate and a functional gastrointestinal tract is present. Endoscopic directed access for enteral nutrition may be established for nasoenteric tubes, percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, percutaneous gastrojejunostomy, or direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy. This article would review the most common endoscopic methods with emphasis on helpful expert tips as well as recent innovations to facilitate placement success and decrease complications. Recent innovations include the modified drag technique and pull technique and electromagnetic sensor–guided placement of nasoenteric tubes. The introducer method using gastropexy and transnasal endoscopy can be useful in certain situations for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. The drag and clip technique and transgastrostomy endoscopy for percutaneous gastrojejunostomy, and balloon-assisted enteroscopy for direct percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy can improve success and efficiency for jejunal access. Finally new techniques for stoma fistula closure, periprocedural anticoagulation management and indications for radiologic placement of feeding tubes are detailed as well. The expert endoscopist should have a variety of tools and techniques in his armamentarium for successful and safe enteral feeding tube placement.
Bimolecular electron transfer in ionic liquids: are reaction rates anomalously high?

Steady-state and picosecond time-resolved emission spectroscopy are used to monitor the bimolecular electron transfer reaction between the electron acceptor 9,10-dicyanoanthracene in its S1 state and the donor N,N-dimethylaniline in a variety of ionic liquids and several conventional solvents. Detailed study of this quenching reaction was undertaken in order to better understand why rates reported for similar diffusion-limited reactions in ionic liquids sometimes appear much higher than expected given the viscous nature of these liquids. Consistent with previous studies, Stern–Volmer analyses of steady-state and lifetime data provide effective quenching rate constants kq, which are often 10–100-fold larger than simple predictions for diffusion-limited rate constants kD in ionic liquids. Similar departures from kD are also observed in conventional organic solvents having comparably high viscosities, indicating that this behavior is not unique to ionic liquids. A more complete analysis of the quenching data...
PREVENTION OF MALE INFERTILITY: AN UPDATE

Initial evaluation of the infertile male includes a diligent search for testicular factors, gonadotoxins, and coital factors in order to identify existing causes of impaired fertility and prevent further diminution in fertility. Certain prophylactic measures can prevent future infertility such as prompt correction of cryptorchidism, testicular torsion, genital infection, and adolescent varicocele, and proper precautions to limit occupational, medical, and recreational gonadotoxins.
Follicular cell thyroid neoplasia: insights from genomics and The Cancer Genome Atlas research network.

Purpose of reviewThe present review is focused on the recently published study on the genomics of papillary thyroid carcinoma performed by The Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network and its implications for the follicular variant of papillary carcinoma.Recent findingsThe Cancer Genome Atlas study of p
Health-Related Quality of Life Components in Children With Neonatal Brachial Plexus Palsy: A Qualitative Study

Abstract Background Currently, no published, validated patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) exist for use with neonatal brachial plexus palsy (NBPP). NBPP is a debilitating condition that occurs during the perinatal period, resulting in paralysis/paresis and loss of sensation in the affected arm. Commonly used NBPP measures are not comprehensive and do not fully account for clinically meaningful changes in function or progression of the disorder. Objective To evaluate important components of HRQOL for children with NBPP and identify where new PRO measures are needed. Design Eleven focus groups comprising children with NBPP (4), family members (6), and professional providers (1) to assess HRQOL. Setting Brachial plexus clinic. Participants Children with NBPP, their parents, and professional providers. Inclusion Criteria Children 7-17 years old with NBPP; parents/caregivers at least 18 years of age; professionals with ≥2 years' experience providing NBPP clinical care; ability to read and speak English fluently. Methods Focus group sessions were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and deidentified. Qualitative frequency analysis identified different aspects of HRQOL relevant to NBPP. This analysis expands on the grounded-theory approach to qualitative analysis, including development of a domain framework, open and axial coding, selective coding, and descriptive analysis. The resulting HRQOL domain framework (and frequency analysis) was then compared to the domain framework for existing PRO measures (PROMIS and Neuro-QoL) to identify components of HRQOL where new PRO measures are needed for NBPP. Main Outcome Measures Not applicable. Results Although many physical, social, and emotional health domains were captured by existing PRO measures, some significant NBPP-specific topics emerged from qualitative analysis—functionality, sensory, physical appearance, arm/hand compensation and preference, explaining functionality/appearance to others, and self-esteem and body image concerns. Conclusions Development of sensitive and specific measures capturing arm/hand function and body image would improve the clinical care of patients with NBPP. Level of Evidence Not applicable.
DYNAMIC FAULT RUPTURE AND PROPAGATION THROUGH A FIXED FINITE ELEMENT GRID

The extended finite element method is used to simulate dynamic fault rupture in elastoplastic solids. Rupture is governed by a linear slip-weakening law and finite element calculations are done explicitly. In a numeric example, we study a benchmark problem comparing the new technique with conventional finite element simulations, including the regular penalty formulation and split-node technique for rupture propagating with off-fault bulk plasticity.
Robust differential expression analysis by learning discriminant boundary in multi-dimensional space of statistical attributes

Performing statistical tests is an important step in analyzing genome-wide datasets for detecting genomic features differentially expressed between conditions. Each type of statistical test has its own advantages in characterizing certain aspects of differences between population means and often assumes a relatively simple data distribution (e.g., Gaussian, Poisson, negative binomial, etc.), which may not be well met by the datasets of interest. Making insufficient distributional assumptions can lead to inferior results when dealing with complex differential expression patterns. We propose to capture differential expression information more comprehensively by integrating multiple test statistics, each of which has relatively limited capacity to summarize the observed differential expression information. This work addresses a general application scenario, in which users want to detect as many as DEFs while requiring the false discovery rate (FDR) to be lower than a cut-off. We treat each test statistic as a basic attribute, and model the detection of differentially expressed genomic features as learning a discriminant boundary in a multi-dimensional space of basic attributes. We mathematically formulated our goal as a constrained optimization problem aiming to maximize discoveries satisfying a user-defined FDR. An effective algorithm, Discriminant-Cut, has been developed to solve an instantiation of this problem. Extensive comparisons of Discriminant-Cut with 13 existing methods were carried out to demonstrate its robustness and effectiveness. We have developed a novel machine learning methodology for robust differential expression analysis, which can be a new avenue to significantly advance research on large-scale differential expression analysis.
Stem Cells in the Treatment of Refractory Chronic Migraines.

Background: Autologous adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF), which is rich in mesenchymal stromal cells, has been reported to be effective for the treatment of trigeminal neuropathic pain and chronic migraine and tension-type headaches. It is possible that stem cell activity targets neurogenic inflammation, which is a well-documented aspect of migraine pathogenesis. Methods: Adult patients with severe migraine-related disability as measured by the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) score who failed botulinum toxin injections and at least 3 prophylactic drugs were included in this study. The primary outcome measure was the change in MIDAS score 3 months after treatment. Standard liposuction was performed to obtain adipose tissue, from which SVF was isolated by centrifugation. A sample of each patient’s SVF was tested for the number of nucleated cells and their viability. Between 8 and 10 mL of SVF with 2.5–8.6 million viable cells were injected into the pericranial, neck, and trapezius muscles. Results: One man and 8 women were enrolled in the study. The mean age was 48 years, the mean duration of headaches was 16 years, the mean number of prophylactic drugs tried was 10, and the mean MIDAS score at baseline was 122. Three months after the procedure the mean MIDAS score was 88. Seven out of 9 patients had a decrease in their MIDAS score, but only 2 had meaningful improvement. Conclusion: The use of autologous adipose-derived SVF may be effective in the treatment of chronic refractory migraines. It is possible that the use of allogenic stem cells could offer a more practical and more effective approach.
Narratives of a Dying Woman: Contentious Meaning at the End of Life:

Advancement in medical science and technology enhanced the human capacity to intervene in the process of dying, forcing professionals and the public to face ethical dilemmas and question the boundary between life and death. The contentious discourse on this boundary is particularly salient given the unprecedented levels of population aging all over the world. This paper analyzes the discursive field surrounding a notable Italian end-of-life controversy. Combining field and narrative theories, the present study spans structural aspects and rhetorical mechanisms. Results show that not only are antithetical interpretations of the event tied to media’s ideological leanings, but the latter are also systematically associated with different sequential structures of headlines and story leads. Competing actors produce alternative frameworks by identifying different sets of perpetrators.
Nephrometry score matched robotic vs. laparoscopic vs. open partial nephrectomy

To compare perioperative outcomes in the three most common partial nephrectomy modalities: robotic (RPN), laparoscopic (LPN), and open (OPN), matched for nephrometry scores. Patients aged 16–85 who underwent RPN, LPN, or OPN from 2007 to 2014 for localized renal carcinoma within our healthcare system were enrolled. Age, sex, body mass index, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) as well as perioperative outcomes of estimated blood loss (EBL), length of hospital stay (LOS), ischemia time (IT), change in eGFR, positive margin rate, operative time (OT), and emergency room visit rates were compared between RPN, LPN, and OPN using the R.E.N.A.L nephrometry score. A total of 862 patients underwent partial nephrectomy (523 LPN, 176 OPN, and 163 RPN). Patients who underwent OPN were significantly older, and had higher nephrometry scores and CCI. When matched for nephrometry scores, minimally invasive (LPN and RPN) compared to OPN had lower EBL (< 0.0001), shorter LOS (< 0.0001), shorter IT (< 0.001), and less change in eGFR (< 0.001), particularly in nephrometry scores higher than 8 (0.0099). Comparing RPN with LPN, RPN had significantly shorter OT in all nephrometry scores (< 0.001); shorter IT and LOS in nephrometry scores higher than 7. Our study suggests that minimally invasive partial nephrectomy may have superior outcomes to OPN when matched by nephrometry scores, particularly at higher scores and for RPN. This finding may contribute to a surgeon’s decision in the approach to partial nephrectomy.
Neurosteroid pregnenolone sulfate, alone, and as augmentation of lurasidone or tandospirone, rescues phencyclidine-induced deficits in cognitive function and social interaction.

Abstract Background Pregnenolone sulfate (PregS), an endogenous neurosteroid, which negatively and positively modulates gamma amino butyric acid subunit A (GABAA) and N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors (R) respectively, among other potential neuroplastic changes on synaptic processes, has shown some beneficial effects on treating cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS) and negative symptoms. Lurasidone (Lur), an atypical antipsychotic drug (AAPD), and tandospirone (Tan), a 5-HT1A R partial agonist, have also been reported to improve cognitive or negative symptoms, or both, in some schizophrenia patients. Methods We tested whether PregS, by itself, and in combination with Lur or Tan could rescue persistent deficits produced by subchronic treatment with the NMDAR antagonist, phencyclidine (PCP)-in episodic memory, executive functioning, and social behavior, using novel object recognition (NOR), operant reversal learning (ORL), and social interaction (SI) tasks, in male C57BL/6 J mice. Results PregS (10, but not 3 mg/kg) significantly rescued subchronic PCP-induced NOR and SI deficits. Co-administration of sub-effective doses (SEDs) of PregS (3 mg/kg) + Lur (0.1 mg/kg) or Tan (0.03 mg/kg) rescued scPCP-induced NOR and SI deficits. Further, PregS (30, but not 10 mg/kg) rescued PCP-induced ORL deficit, as did the combination of SED PregS (10 mg/kg) +SED Lur (1 mg/kg) or Tan (1 mg/kg). Conclusion PregS was effective alone and as adjunctive treatment for treating two types of cognitive impairments and negative symptoms in this schizophrenia model. Further study of the mechanisms by which PregS alone and in combination with AAPDs and 5-HT1A R partial agonists, rescues the deficits in cognition and SI in this preclinical model is indicated.
Do nutrition label readers eat healthier diets? Behavioral correlates of adults' use of food labels.

Background Reading and understanding nutrition labels on foods may be an important precursor to dietary change. However, little is known about how nutrition labels are used by consumers and what effect reading labels has on dietary behaviors. Methods This article identifies behavioral and health status correlates of nutrition label reading and describes patterns of label use among 885 adult patients from four family medicine clinics in southeastern Missouri. To participate, patients completed a self-administered survey while waiting to see their physicians. Results Analyses revealed patients eating diets lower in fat were much more likely (51% versus 26%) than patients whose diets were higher in fat to report labels influencing their food purchase decisions, as were patients eating diets higher in fruits, vegetables, and fiber. Patients with high blood pressure were 63% more likely than those with normal or low blood pressure to look for sodium on the nutrition label (odds ratio [OR] = 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.35, 1.97), but no more likely to look for other nutrition label information. Similarly, patients with high cholesterol were more likely than those with normal or low cholesterol to look for saturated fat (OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.13, 1.72) and cholesterol (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.29, 1.98) on the label, but no more likely to look for other nutrition label information. Conclusions Findings consistently supported a relationship between patients’ label reading and their dietary practices.
Tinnitus: Etiology and management

Tinnitus is the perceived sensation of sound in the absence of acoustic stimulation. Individuals who suffer from it are commonly between the ages of 40 and 80 years. Tinnitus is often classified as objective or subjective, yet the pathophysiologic cause is still unknown. Subjective tinnitus is largely identified with hearing loss. Management of tinnitus is based on an individual approach; there is no single treatment or regimen for it.
Hypermatrix of the Brain

Decision-making, a natural and fundamental process of the brain, involves the use of pairwise comparisons. They are represented by a matrix whose entries belong to a fundamental scale, and from which an eigenvector of priorities that belongs to a ratio scale is derived. A simple decision is represented by a hierarchic structure, more complex ones by a feedback network. The alternatives from which the choice is made belong to the bottom level of the hierarchy whose upper levels contain the criteria and objectives of the decision. The derived eigenvectors are successively used to synthesize the outcome priorities by weighting and adding. A simple example of choosing the best school for the author’s son is used to illustrate this process. When there is dependence and feedback in a decision, synthesis requires the use of a stochastic supermatrix whose entries are block matrices of column normalized eigenvectors derived from paired comparisons. Stochasticity is ensured by also comparing the influence of the components that give rise to the blocks.