cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Interprofessional Curriculum on Antimicrobial Stewardship Improves Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Appropriate Antimicrobial Use and Collaboration.

Author(s): MacDougall, Conan; Schwartz, Brian S; Kim, Lisa; Nanamori, Mari; Shekarchian, Sharmin; Chin-Hong, Peter V | Abstract: BackgroundInappropriate antimicrobial use can threaten patient safety and is the focus of collaborative physician and pharmacist antimicrobial stewardship teams. However, antimicrobial stewardship is not comprehensively taught in medical or pharmacy school curricula. Addressing this deficiency can teach an important concept as well as model interprofessional healthcare.MethodsWe created an antimicrobial stewardship curriculum consisting of an online learning module and workshop session that combined medical and pharmacy students, with faculty from both professions. Learners worked through interactive, branched-logic clinical cases relating to appropriate antimicrobial use. We surveyed participants before and after the curriculum using validated questions to assess knowledge and attitudes regarding antimicrobial stewardship and interprofessional collaboration. Results were analyzed using paired χ2 and t tests and mixed-effects logistic regression.ResultsAnalysis was performed with the 745 students (425 medical students, 320 pharmacy students) who completed both pre- and postcurriculum surveys over 3 years. After completing the curriculum, significantly more students perceived that they were able to describe the role of each profession in appropriate antimicrobial use (34% vs 82%, P l .001), communicate in a manner that engaged the interprofessional team (75% vs 94%, P l .001), and describe collaborative approaches to appropriate antimicrobial use (49% vs 92%, P l .001). Student favorability ratings were high for the online learning module (85%) and small group workshop (93%).ConclusionsA curriculum on antimicrobial stewardship consisting of independent learning and an interprofessional workshop significantly increased knowledge and attitudes towards collaborative antimicrobial stewardship among preclinical medical and pharmacy students.
Prognostic model for primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL): Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) of the MSKCC PCNSL population

1531 Background: Increasingly there is a need to develop a simple prognostic score that can be used in the analysis and design of PCNSL studies as well as for clinical management. Recently the IELSG published a 3 group prognostic model incorporating patient age, performance status, serum LDH, location of brain lesions and CSF total protein; however, only 105 of their 378 patients had all of the variables available to develop this score. Methods: We analyzed 338 patients (median age 60; median KPS 70) seen and treated for PCNSL at MSKCC between 1983 and 2003. The median survival was 37 months and median follow up of surviving patients is 35 months. Univariate analysis of potential prognostic factors was performed using the Kaplan Meier product limit method. Significant univariate variables were included in a multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Patients were separately analyzed using the IELSG prognostic score. Finally, RPA was employed as an independent method of deve...
A Multi-Media Modular Approach to Curriculum Development for Computer Science in Educational Administration

(1981). A Multi-Media Modular Approach to Curriculum Development for Computer Science in Educational Administration. The Journal of Data Education: Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 21-24.
Nerve Root Compression Increases Spinal Astrocytic Vimentin in Parallel With Sustained Pain and Endothelial Vimentin in Association With Spinal Vascular Reestablishment.

Study Design.Temporal immunohistochemistry analysis of spinal cord tissue from a rat model of cervical radiculopathy.Objective.The goal was to measure spinal endothelial and astrocytic vimentin expression after a painful nerve root compression to define spinal cellular expression of vimentin in the
Evidence that aspirin blocks platelet-induced growth, invasive activity and epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) of mouse colon cancer cells

BackgroundAspirin consumption is associated with a significant reduction in the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC). The evidence was sufficiently compelling to lead a subcommittee o...
Implementation and modeling of a femtosecond laser-activated streak camera

A laser-activated streak camera was built to measure the duration of femtosecond electron pulses. The streak velocity of the device is 1.89 mrad/ps, which corresponds to a sensitivity of 34.9 fs/pixels. The streak camera also measures changes in the relative time of arrival between the laser and electron pulses with a resolution of 70 fs RMS. A full circuit analysis of the structure is presented to describe the streaking field and the general behavior of the device. We have developed a general mathematical model to analyze the streaked images. The model provides an accurate method to extract the pulse duration based on the changes of the electron beam profile when the streaking field is applied.
Ultrasonography in Detection of Vaginal Foreign Bodies in Girls: A Retrospective Study.

Abstract Study Objective In this study we investigated the sonographic features of vaginal foreign bodies in girls and the diagnostic role of combined transperineal and transabdominal ultrasonography in the detection of vaginal foreign bodies in this population. Design, Setting, Participants, Interventions, and Main Outcome Measures A retrospective review of the records of 249 girls seen in the outpatient pediatric and adolescent gynecology clinic of our hospital and referred to our department for sonographic evaluation of suspected vaginal foreign bodies between 2013 and 2016 was performed. All patients were transperineally and transabdominally scanned using an ultrasound machine with 3-MHz and 7.5-MHz transducers. The sonographic features of the detected foreign bodies were recorded and reported. All patients also underwent pelvic radiography. The presence of foreign bodies was confirmed using vaginoscopy. Results Two hundred forty-nine patients were included in this study, and vaginal foreign bodies were detected in 181 patients. Vaginal foreign bodies often present in girls aged from 2 to 12 years old. The most common vaginal foreign bodies were toilet paper, beads, small parts of toys, cap of water color brush, and crayons. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of transperineal/transabdominal sonography in the diagnosis of vaginal foreign bodies were 81%, 53%, 82%, and 51%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of transabdominal sonography were 33%, 49%, 63%, and 21%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of transperineal sonography were 64%, 49%, 77%, and 33%, respectively. Abnormal findings were detected using x-ray in only 43 of the 181 cases (23.7%). The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of x-ray were 24%, 91%, 88%, and 31%, respectively. The size of the foreign bodies ranged from 2 mm to 35 mm. For foreign bodies larger than 5 mm, the rate of sonographic accuracy reached 100%. For foreign bodies smaller than 5 mm, 32 false positive results, and 34 false negative results were identified. One hundred thirty-nine of 181 foreign bodies were less than 2 cm from the vaginal orifice (77%). All foreign bodies were hyperechoic compared with adjacent tissues. Some vaginal foreign bodies had characteristic echo patterns. With the exception of 1 patient with a detained AAA battery that caused vaginal ulceration, the other patients had a full recovery. Conclusion Vaginal foreign bodies were hyperechoic compared with adjacent tissues and often had characteristic echo patterns. The use of combined transperineal and transabdominal ultrasonography might be helpful in diagnosing foreign bodies, especially when the size of the foreign body is larger than 5 mm. Therefore, ultrasonography might be preferred for the initial evaluation of suspected vaginal foreign bodies, because it is a noninvasive, radiation-free, and inexpensive technique.
Development and validation of a stability indicating UPLC method, identification, and characterization of three degradant impurities in pharmaceutical dosage form of rabeprazole sodium.

A simple, sensitive, and reproducible ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with a photodiode array detector method was developed for the quantitative determination of Rabeprazole Sodium and its three potential degradant impurities along with other six impurities in pharmaceutical dosage forms. Three unknown impurities of Rabeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor, were formed in the formulated drug under the stress conditions, (40°C/75% Relative humidity (RH) for 6 months) with relative retention times (RRT's) 0.10, 0.18, and 0.31. A thorough study was undertaken to characterize these potential degradants. These impurities were enriched by using various stressed conditions, isolated using preparative HPLC and characterized by NMR and MS. On the basis of the spectral data, the Impurity-I, II, and III were characterized as 2-Amino-1H-benzimidazole, 1H-Benzimidazol-2-ol, and 2-Benzimidazolethiol. Chromatographic separation was achieved on Acquity UPLC, RP18 column (100 × 2.1 mm i.d., 1.7 µm particle size). The instrument was set at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min, the column oven temperature was maintained at 25°C, and the eluted compounds were monitored at 280 nm. The resolution between Rabeprazole and its nine impurities was greater than 1.5. Method was validated as per ICH guidelines.
Taxonomic revision of the flavopalliata species group of Signiphora (Hymenoptera: Signiphoridae)

The flavopalliata species group of Signiphora Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Signiphoridae) is revised. Twelve species are redescribed: Signiphora aleyrodis Ashmead, S. aspidioti Ashmead, S. borinquensis Quezada et al. , S. coquilletti Ashmead, S. fax Girault, S. flavella Girault, S. flavopalliata Ashmead, S. lutea Rust, S. maculata Girault, S. merceti Malenotti, S. perpauca Girault and S. xanthographa Blanchard. Signiphora townsendi Ashmead is synonymized under S. aleyrodis n. syn.; Thysanus insularis Dozier and S. flavopalliata desantisi De Santis are synonymized under S. fax n. syns.; S. basilica Girault, S. euclidi Girault, S. flava Girault, S. caridei Brethes, S. thoreauini Girault and Thysanus louisianae Dozier are synonymized under S. flavella n. syns.; and S. woolleyi Hayat is synonymized under S. perpauca n. syn. Thirteen new species are described: S. bennetti n. sp. , S. biloba n. sp. , S. brachyptera n. sp. , S. curepensis n. sp. , S. dozieri n. sp. , S. ehleri n. sp. , S. ensifera n. sp. , S. falcata n. sp. , S. jojobae n. sp. , S. longitibia n. sp. , S. plaumanni n. sp. , S. renuncula n. sp. and S. tridentata n. sp. Lectotypes are designated for S. aleyrodis, S. townsendi, S. fax, S. flavella, S. occidentalis, S. lutea, S. maculata and S. xanthographa.
The impact of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy timing on survival of head and neck cancers

BACKGROUND Delays in postoperative head and neck (HN) radiotherapy have been associated with decreased overall survival; however, the impact of delays in postoperative HN chemoradiotherapy remains undefined. METHODS All patients with nonmetastatic HN cancer (oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, hypopharynx) who underwent curative intent surgery and received adjuvant chemoradiotherapy were identified from the National Cancer Database (2005-2012). Overall treatment time (OTT) was defined as the time from surgery to the end of radiation therapy. Statistical methods included Cox proportional hazards modeling, which adjusted for clinicopathologic, demographic, and socioeconomic factors. Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) identified the optimal threshold of OTT via conditional inference trees to estimate the greatest differences in overall survival (OS) on the basis of randomly selected training and validation sets. RESULTS A total of 16,733 patients were included, with a median follow-up of 37 months. Median OS for OTT in a predefined threshold of ≤ 13 weeks was 10.1 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 9.8 years; not reached) compared with 8.7 years (95% CI, 8.2-9.2 years) in > 13 weeks. On multivariate analysis, OTT of > 13 weeks versus ≤ 13 weeks independently increased mortality risk (hazard ratio, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04-1.17; P = < 0.001). RPA identified an optimal OTT threshold of 97 days (interquartile range: 96-98 days). The OTT threshold of 97 days was confirmed in a full Cox regression model estimating the risk of death according to overall treatment time as a continuous variable. CONCLUSION In this large hospital-based national data, an OTT of greater than approximately 14 weeks most consistently increased the risk of death. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4. Laryngoscope, 128:2326-2332, 2018.
Potentially fatal outcomes associated with clozapine

Clozapine has been shown to be the most efficacious therapy for treatment resistant schizophrenia, estimated at one third of all schizophrenia cases. There is significant morbidity and mortality associated with clozapine including risk of agranulocytosis, aspiration pneumonia, bowel ischemia, myocarditis, seizures, and weight gain. Here we present a case of a 62-year-old man with chronic paranoid schizophrenia refractory to numerous antipsychotics who was started on clozapine therapy during an acute inpatient psychiatric admission. Within three weeks of starting clozapine, the patient developed flu-like symptoms, pleuritic chest pain, and was sent to a medical hospital for evaluation. After transfer, the patient had a rapidly deteriorating course with newly developed congestive heart failure, acute respiratory failure requiring intubation, and cardiovascular collapse requiring vasopressors. The patient expired within two days of transfer and four days after initial symptoms developed. The underlying etiology in this case is likely clozapine induced myocarditis leading to rapid cardiovascular collapse and death. Mortality with clozapine induced myocarditis has been estimated up to 24%. Given that 90% of clozapine cardiotoxic sequelae are seen in the first month post-initiation, more rigorous post-initiation surveillance is recommended for the first four weeks of clozapine with weekly cardiac enzymes (troponins, creatinine kinase-MB), EKG, and acute inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate).
Comparing Outcomes Between "Pull" Versus "Push" Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy in Acute Care Surgery: Under-Reported Pull Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Incidence of Tube Dislodgement.

Abstract Background Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) complications are often under-reported in the literature, especially regarding the incidence of tube dislodgement (TD). TD can cause significant morbidity depending on its timing. We compared outcomes between “push” and “pull” PEGs. We hypothesized that push PEGs, because of its T-fasteners and balloon tip, would have a lower incidence of TD and complications compared with pull PEGs. Methods We performed a chart review of our prospectively maintained acute care surgery database for patients who underwent PEG tube placement from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2013. Data regarding age, gender, body mass index, indications (trauma versus nontrauma), and complications (including TD) were extracted. Procedure-related complications were classified as either major if patients required an operative intervention or minor if they did not. We compared outcomes between pull PEG and push PEG. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors associated with major complications. Results During the 4-y study period, 264 patients underwent pull PEGs and 59 underwent push PEGs. Age, gender, body mass index, and indications were similar between the two groups. The overall complications (major and minor) were similar (20% pull versus 22% push, P = 0.61). The incidence of TD was also similar (12% pull versus 9% push, P = 0.49). However, TD associated with major complications was higher in pull PEGs but was not statistically significant (6% pull versus 2% push, P = 0.21). Multiple regression analysis showed that dislodged pull PEG was associated with major complications (odds ratio 29.5; 95% confidence interval, 11.3-76.9; P Conclusions The incidence of pull PEG TD associated with major complications is under-recognized. Specific measures should be undertaken to help prevent pull PEG TD. Level of evidence IV, therapeutic.
Pancreatic cancer thromboembolic outcomes: rate of thrombosis after adenocarcinoma and non-adenocarcinoma pancreatic cancer surgery

Background The aim of this study was to define the association of non-adenocarcinoma pancreatic cancer (NACPC) as a risk factor for postoperative cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT). Methods We conducted analysis of prospectively collected data of pancreatic cancer surgery. Randomly collected NACPC cases were matched 1:3 to adenocarcinoma cases (ACPC). Variables included comorbidities, demographics, cancer extension, and preoperative Khorana score (KRS). Primary outcome was CAT, which included deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism confirmed by imaging. Categorical variables are presented as percentages, continuous variables as median and range. SPSS, χ2, Cochran-Armitage, and logistic regression were use for analysis. Results The study included 441 patients. Age 65.9±11.5, male 57% (N.=252), 8% (N.=36) had metastasis. IPMN and neuroendocrine were the most common NACPC. Median follow-up was 449 days in which 90 (20%) patients developed CAT. The odds (Odds Ratio [OR] 1.1, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.6- 1.9, P=0.7) and time to venous thromboembolism were not different between NACPC and ACPC. We analyzed for trends of prophylactic strategies by year of surgery; there was no trend for NACPC (P=0.4) or ACPC (P=0.06). KRS was not associated with CAT. In the multivariate analysis, peripheral artery disease (Adjusted Odds Ratio [ORadj] 5.4, 95% CI: 1.7-17.3), ASA class ≥4 (ORadj 3.6; 95% CI: 1.3-10.4), length of stay >9 days (ORadj: 1.9; 1.2-3.2), and cancer vascular invasion (ORadj: 2.9; 95% CI: 1.6-5.3) were associated with CAT. Conclusions The rate of VTE in NACPC after surgery was high and not different than ACPC. Histology type should not govern discrimination in thromboprophylaxis selection or extension.
Cellular resistance to vincristine suppresses NF-kappa B activation and apoptosis but enhances c-Jun-NH2-terminal protein kinase activation by tumor necrosis.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a pleiotropic cytokine that potentiates the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic drugs. Although emergence of resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs is a major problem in cancer therapy, its mechanism is incompletely understood. Recently, activation of a nuclear transcription factor NF-κB has been reported to be a signal for anti-apoptosis. In this report, we investigated the effect of TNF on activation of NF-κB, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and apoptosis in vincristine-resistant human histiocytic lymphoma U937-VR cells. Unlike the parent clone (U937-VS), no activation of caspase-3, known to be required for apoptosis, was found in vincristine-resistant cells on exposure to vincristine. These cells were also more resistant than U-937-VS cells to doxorubicin, daunomycin, and taxol. TNF-induced NF-κB activation, IκB α degradation, and nuclear translocation of p65 were all found to be highly suppressed in the U-937-VR cells. NF-κB activation by LPS, H2O2, and okadaic acid was also suppressed. However, vincristine resistance enhanced TNF-induced JNK activation. When examined for apoptosis, vincristine resistance suppressed the cytotoxic effects and caspase-3 activation by TNF. The resistant phenotype in U937-VR cells was independent of the expression of the apoptosis-suppressor, Bcl-2. Thus, overall these results indicate that vincristine resistance correlates with suppression of NF-κB activation, cytotoxicity, and caspase-3 activation but enhancement of JNK activation by TNF.
Understanding Dealumination Mechanisms in Protonic and Cationic Zeolites

Zeolites can be partially hydrolyzed by steam via Al extraction which leads to the formation of a moiety with four hydroxyl groups. This irreversible dealumination process can decrease the crystall...
Proactive coordination of inpatient bed management to reduce emergency department patient boarding

Abstract Emergency departments (EDs) across the world are experiencing severe crowding and prolonged patient wait times for hospital admissions (a.k.a. patient “boarding”). Using data from a major healthcare system, we show that EDs suffer from severe boarding not only due to a high level of hospital inpatient bed occupancy but also due to reactive coordination of inpatient bed management activities. To reduce patient boarding, we explore early task initiation for the service network spanning the ED and inpatient units within a hospital. In particular, we investigate the value of predicting ED patient admissions (to be specific, disposition decisions) during the ED caregiving process to proactively initiate downstream tasks for reduced patient boarding. We show that the coordination mechanism can be modeled as a fork–join queueing system. The proposed modeling framework accounts for both imperfect patient disposition predictions and multiple hospital admission sources (in addition to the ED) for inpatient units. We maintain analytical tractability while preserving the complexities of real-world inpatient bed management operations by characterizing the state sets and transition sequences through the Markovian assumption. The proactive inpatient bed allocation scheme can lead to significant reductions in bed allocation delays for ED patients (nearly up to ∼ 50 % ) and does not increase delays for other admission sources. The insights from our model should guide hospital managers in embracing proactive coordination and adaptive workflow technologies enabled by modern health information technology systems and predictive analytics.
Challenging case of J-wave syndromes.

A 42-year-old man presented after accidental drug overdose complicated by out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The patient underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation with successful return of spontaneous circulation and was admitted to the intensive care unit for postcardiac arrest care, which included targeted temperature management (TTM). Urine toxicology screen was positive for cocaine. Initial ECG showed normal sinus rhythm at 84 bpm with incomplete right bundle branch block (RBBB) (figure 1A). During cooling to 33.7°C, ST-segment elevations were noted on the bedside monitor. Follow-up ECG showed sinus bradycardia at 44 bpm with incomplete RBBB, ST-elevations with superimposed J-waves and ‘saddleback appearance’, resembling type …
Commissioning ShARCS: the Shane adaptive optics infrared camera-spectrograph for the Lick Observatory Shane 3-m telescope

We describe the design and first-light early science performance of the Shane Adaptive optics infraRed Camera- Spectrograph (ShARCS) on Lick Observatory’s 3-m Shane telescope. Designed to work with the new ShaneAO adaptive optics system, ShARCS is capable of high-efficiency, diffraction-limited imaging and low-dispersion grism spectroscopy in J, H, and K-bands. ShARCS uses a HAWAII-2RG infrared detector, giving high quantum efficiency (<80%) and Nyquist sampling the diffraction limit in all three wavelength bands. The ShARCS instrument is also equipped for linear polarimetry and is sensitive down to 650 nm to support future visible-light adaptive optics capability. We report on the early science data taken during commissioning.
Tokamak elongation - how much is too much? Part 2. Numerical results

The analytic theory presented in Paper I is converted into a form convenient for numerical analysis. A fast and accurate code has been written using this numerical formulation. The results are presented by first defining a reference set of physical parameters based on experimental data from high performance discharges. Scaling relations of maximum achievable elongation ( ) versus inverse aspect ratio ( ) are obtained numerically for various values of poloidal beta ( ), wall radius and feedback capability parameter ( ) in ranges near the reference values. It is also shown that each value of occurs at a corresponding value of optimized triangularity ( ), whose scaling is also determined as a function of . The results show that the theoretical predictions of are slightly higher than experimental observations for high performance discharges, as measured by high average pressure. The theoretical values are noticeably lower. We suggest that the explanation is associated with the observation that high performance involves not only MHD stability, but also MHD modes described by in the Troyon limit and transport as characterized by . Operation away from the MHD optimum may still lead to higher performance if there are more than compensatory gains in and . Unfortunately, while the empirical scaling of and with the elongation ( ) has been determined, the dependence on has still not been quantified. This information is needed in order to perform more accurate overall optimizations in future experimental designs.
Cutting Onions and Cooking Stew as Corporeal Palimpsests: Stabilising the Unstable on a Theatre Stage in Mexico City

For 12 months, the multi-ensemble and multi-aesthetic project Zapata, Death Without End brought together 5 performance groups from 5 states to collaborate, experiment through devising workshops, and generate public performances. Organised by one of Mexico’s leading experimental companies, La Maquina de Teatro (the Theatre Machine, dirs. Juliana Faesler and Clarissa Malheiros), this project used collective creation strategies of shared objects and questions to explore differing experiences. With an open- and multi-layered structure of playfulness and community, the processes incorporated trans-temporal interweaving and accumulation of stories, lives, and experiences, all connected through explorations of remains of one body of history: Emiliano Zapata, one of Mexico’s most iconic revolutionary figures. Through a ritual performance of everyday food preparation, re-visions of Zapata’s remains are performed to resist and transform unstable narratives into a stable scenario of convivial sharing. These practices are analysed through concepts of postmemory, rememory, re-visions, remains, and performing palimpsest bodies.
Syphilis Patches: Form and Dramatic History in The Knight of the Burning Pestle

At the intersection of disability history and literary form, the concept of patching applies to both early modern plays and early modern bodies. The metatheatrical comedy The Knight of the Burning Pestle explores the overlap and divergence between types of patching by staging not only a barber’s syphilis treatment (involving a nose patch) but also a series of “extra” scenes that are patched onto the plot structure of the play, as demanded by a faction of grocer-onlookers. In one of these scenes, the tensions between barbers’ and grocers’ approaches to syphilis lead to staged conflict. The barber Barbarossa operates on a medical model of disability, meaning that he sees syphilis primarily as a problem to be treated. This treatment can be both physically harsh and socially isolating. Conversely, the grocer’s apprentice Rafe appears to free Barbarossa’s victims, integrating them back into society in a scene that was spontaneously added to the play by members of his guild. The grocers’ patched scene counteracts the literal patching treatment provided by the barber: it makes those with syphilis more visible as components of society, augmenting both the text of the play and the scope of the play’s portrayal of a verisimilar London.
Compact Cavity-Backed Discone Array for Conformal Omnidirectional Antenna Applications

A compact shallow cavity-backed discone array for conformal omnidirectional vertically polarized antenna applications is investigated. The antenna described consists of four discone antennas arranged in a ring array in a circular contoured conical cavity covered with a radome. The individual discone antennas are fed with coaxial transmission lines. This paper describes the antenna design and electromagnetic simulations of the antenna array. Good omnidirectional realized gain radiation patterns are demonstrated over the 960 MHz to 1215 MHz Tactical Air Navigation System (TACAN) band, an approximate 23% bandwidth.
Prepositioning and Local Purchasing for Emergency Operations Under Budget, Demand, and Supply Uncertainty

Problem definition: Considering a mix of prepositioning and local purchasing, common to cover humanitarian demands in the aftermath of a rapid-onset disaster, we propose policies to determine prepo...
Pareto Efficient Fairness in Supervised Learning: From Extraction to Tracing.

As algorithmic decision-making systems are becoming more pervasive, it is crucial to ensure such systems do not become mechanisms of unfair discrimination on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, etc. Moreover, due to the inherent trade-off between fairness measures and accuracy, it is desirable to learn fairness-enhanced models without significantly compromising the accuracy. In this paper, we propose Pareto efficient Fairness (PEF) as a suitable fairness notion for supervised learning, that can ensure the optimal trade-off between overall loss and other fairness criteria. The proposed PEF notion is definition-agnostic, meaning that any well-defined notion of fairness can be reduced to the PEF notion. To efficiently find a PEF classifier, we cast the fairness-enhanced classification as a bilevel optimization problem and propose a gradient-based method that can guarantee the solution belongs to the Pareto frontier with provable guarantees for convex and non-convex objectives. We also generalize the proposed algorithmic solution to extract and trace arbitrary solutions from the Pareto frontier for a given preference over accuracy and fairness measures. This approach is generic and can be generalized to any multicriteria optimization problem to trace points on the Pareto frontier curve, which is interesting by its own right. We empirically demonstrate the effectiveness of the PEF solution and the extracted Pareto frontier on real-world datasets compared to state-of-the-art methods.
Queering the Introduction to Sociology Course

Introduction to Sociology is a widely enrolled course that gives students both an overview of the field of sociology and tools to view and analyze the social worlds we live in. This course provides...
Working Class Heroes: A History of Struggle in Song

Ken Burns’s recently released epic documentary Country Music was constructed on the observation that this major stream of American popular culture originated with and was propelled by working class...
Pyridine-2-carbaldehyde thio-semi-carbazone.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C7H8N4S, contains two independent mol­ecules with slightly different conformations; the dihedral angles between the pyridine ring and mean plane of the thio­semicarbazone unit in the two mol­ecules are 2.88 (5) and 6.30 (5)°. Inter­molecular N—H⋯N and N—H⋯S hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into layers parallel to the ab plane.
From Aggregation Operators to Soft Learning Vector Quantization and Clustering Algorithms

Publisher Summary This chapter proposes a general framework for developing soft learning vector quantization (LVQ) and clustering algorithms by using gradient descent to minimize a reformulation function based on admissible aggregation operators. This approach establishes a link between competitive LVQ models and operators developed over the years to perform aggregation on fuzzy sets. For mean type aggregation operators, the development of LVQ and clustering algorithms reduces to the selection of admissible generator functions. The chapter studies the properties of soft LVQ and clustering algorithms derived using nonlinear generator functions. Another family of soft LVQ and clustering algorithms was developed by minimizing admissible reformulation functions based on ordered weighted aggregation operators. In addition to its use in the development of soft LVQ and clustering algorithms, the proposed formulation provides the basis for exploring the structure of the data by identifying outliers in the feature set. A major study is currently under way, which aims at the evaluation of a broad variety of soft LVQ and clustering algorithms on segmentation of magnetic resonance images of the brain.
Structure, melting, and reactivity of nickel clusters from numerical simulations

Structure and reactivity are aspects common to surface science, organo- and inorganometallic chemistry, and to the relatively new field of cluster research. Here we use the term cluster to designate bare (“neet”, “naked”) clusters of like atoms (molecules). A broader usage of the term also includes organo- and inorganometallic compounds, i.e., ligated clusters. Although cluster research grew out of studies of bulk and surface properties of materials (clusters were first utilized to inquire about the microscopic origins of these properties), it soon acquired the status of an independent field with its own subjects, objectives, and methodologies. As the field matured, it became clear that the relation between bulk and surface properties, on the one hand, and those of clusters of atoms (molecules) of a given material, on the other, may not be as straightforward as originally thought. One of the reasons is that the finiteness of clusters, especially those of smaller and intermediate sizes, has a major effect on their electronic and energetically favorable geometric structure(s), as well as other properties. Many of these properties turn out to be quite different from the corresponding macroscopic properties of the materials. Another intriguing and complicating issue is that the properties of clusters change and eventually converge to bulk and surface properties, as the clusters grow in size, not necessarily in a monotonic or even unique way.
Supermutagenicity of ethylnitrosourea in the mouse spot test: Comparisons with methylnitrosourea and ethylnitrosourethane

The effects of the 3 related compounds ethylnitrosourea (ENU), methylnitrosourea (MNU), and ethylnitrosourethane (NEC) were studied in the mouse spot test. ENU induces a large number of recessive spots (RS) and, due to its low toxicity, can be applied at relatively high doses. This combination of properties makes it the most efficient spot-test mutagen, as shown in a comparison with 16 other chemicals, even though, on the basis of molarity, it is not the most potent one. The ENU mutation frequency in cells at risk, calculated per locus, per unit of applied dose, is roughly similar for melanocyte precursors (in the spot test) and spermatogonial stem cells (in the specific-locus test). MNU which, due to its high embryotoxicity, could be tested only at a low dose, is clearly mutagenic, and dose extrapolations indicate it to be more potent than ENU. NEC, though it could be tested at higher molarities than ENU, is only weakly mutagenic. The spot test, in addition to mutational data, also yields information on cytotoxicity (white midventral spots), embryotoxicity, and teratogenicity. The toxicity and teratogenicity findings parallel earlier results in the rat. For all endpoints studied. ENU is more effective than NEC. Relative to MNU, ENU is less toxic, less teratogenic, and less mutagenic in the spot test; but it is much more carcinogenic (transplacentally) and more mutagenic in spermatogonia. We propose that MNU is more effective in inducing gross chromosomal damage than is ENU, while ENU induces relatively more gene mutations. The spot test scores both types of mutational damage, while mostly the latter type is recovered from spermatogonia.
Where Intellectual Property and Free Speech Collide

The idea for this symposium came about several summers ago when Joe Liu, Fred Yen, and I met for coffee to talk about the right of publicity, and more specifically, about a pending case involving the unlicensed use of baseball players’ names and statistics in a “fantasy baseball” league.1 All three of us teach the right of publicity in our classes—Joe and Fred in their intellectual property courses, and I in my media law class—but we approach the common law tort from very different perspectives. I am a First Amendment scholar, and the right of publicity often seems in conflict with everything I know about the freedom of expression. Except for those cases involving fraudulent commercial endorsement, the right of publicity seems largely unsupportable. After all, the Supreme Court’s First Amendment jurisprudence is full of cases that privilege the expressive interests of third parties over plaintiffs’ interests in reputation2 or privacy,3 and parody gets absolute protection as long as no reasonable person would regard it as presenting actual facts about the plaintiff.4 The U.S. Supreme Court has specifically addressed the intersection of the right of publicity and the First Amendment in
Kinetics and dynamics of nitrogen adsorption on Ru(001): evidence for direct molecular chemisorption

Abstract The experimentally determined value of the molecular chemisorption probability, S0 has an interesting dependence on incident kinetic energy, Ei, and incident angle, θi, for the N2/Ru(001) system. An increase in the value of S0 was observed at θi = 60° as Ei was increased from 0.2 to 0.4 eV providing evidence for a direct, activated, mechanism for molecular chemisorption. A simple model of the direct mechanism for high kinetic energy adsorption combined with a hard-cube model to describe trapping-mediated chemisorption at low kinetic energies can account qualitatively for the angular dependence at all incident energies.
Health-Related Quality of Life in Publicly Insured Children With Special Health Care Needs

Our objective was to examine health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in publicly insured children with special health care needs (CSHCN). Data were obtained from 183 caregivers of CSHCN (M = 10 years; 54% African American) in urban health clinics. CSHCN had poorer physical and psychosocial HRQOL than children in a normative sample. In regression analysis, children who had more health problems and more health visits in the previous 12 months had poorer physical HRQOL. Poorer psychosocial HRQOL was associated with more health problems and urban life stressors. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.
Respiratory depression after intravenous administration of δ-selective opioid peptide analogs

We compared the effects of three micro-(DAMGO, DALDA, TNPO) and three delta-(DPDPE, DELT, SNC-80) opioid agonists on arterial blood gas after IV administration in awake sheep. None of the mu agonists altered pO2, pCO2 or pH. All three mu agonists decreased pO2 increased pCO2 and decreased pO2, and this effect was not sensitive to naloxone or TIPPpsi, a delta-antagonist, suggesting that it is not mediated by beta-opioid receptors. When administered to pregnant animals, there were significant changes in fetal pCO2 and pH. It may be possible to develop delta-selective opioid agonists which do not produce respiratory depression.
Liposomal encapsulation: making old and new drugs do new tricks.

Poor therapeutic index has limited the administration and therapeutic efficacy of cytotoxic antineoplastic drugs. One solution is drug encapsulation in synthetic phospholipid vesicles. Liposomes provide two great advantages to the investigator: 1) flexibility in the formulation of the lipid membrane and 2) the opportunity to reformulate old drugs to do new tricks
Iron enhances the bactericidal action of streptonigrin.

Abstract The lethal action of streptonigrin on strains of Escherichia coli is greatly enhanced by citrate (10−2 M). Desferrioxamine (2×10−4 M), when added with streptonigrin and citrate, eliminates the citrate enhancement. These observations point to a role for iron in the bactericidal mechanism of streptonigrin. Extracellular citrate is known to promote the acquisition of iron by E. coli by delivering it as a ferric citrate complex to a specific transport apparatus on the cell envelope. Therefore, it may promote action of streptonigrin by increasing the intracellular concentration of available iron. Desferrioxamine, which forms a much stronger complex with ferric ion than does citrate, would be expected to suppress the ferric citrate effect, and this was observed.
Rotational Spectra and Conformational Analysis of Diethylsilane and Diethyldifluorosilane

The rotational spectra belonging to the 28Si isotopologue for three conformers of diethyldifluorosilane (Et2SiF2) and three conformers of diethylsilane (Et2SiH2) have been measured between 4 and 17 GHz by using pulsed-jet Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy. Rotational spectra for the gauche−gauche, trans−trans, and trans−gauche conformers were identified for both molecules, while the significantly higher energy gauche−gauche′ conformer was not observed. Ab initio calculations at the MP2(Full)/6-311+G(2d,2p) and MP2(Full)/6-311+G(2df,2pd) levels for the fluorine and the hydrogen analogues, respectively, provided rotational constants, dipole moment components, and the relative energies of the conformers to assist in the spectral assignment. In both molecules, the gauche−gauche conformer was identified by the ab initio calculations as the most stable. Agreement of the ab initio rotational constants with those from experiment was at worst 5%, with most rotational constants being predicted to within 2%.
Pulmonary Function, Diffusing Capacity, and Inflammation in Healthy and Asthmatic Subjects Exposed to Ultrafine Particles

Particulate air pollution is associated with asthma exacerbations and increased morbidity and mortality from respiratory causes. Ultrafine particles (particles less than 0.1 microm in diameter) may contribute to these adverse effects because they have a higher predicted pulmonary deposition, greater potential to induce pulmonary inflammation, larger surface area, and enhanced oxidant capacity when compared with larger particles on a mass basis. We hypothesized that ultrafine particle exposure would induce airway inflammation in susceptible humans. This hypothesis was tested in a series of randomized, double-blind studies by exposing healthy subjects and mild asthmatic subjects to carbon ultrafine particles versus filtered air. Both exposures were delivered via a mouthpiece system during rest and moderate exercise. Healthy subjects were exposed to particle concentrations of 10, 25, and 50 microg/m(3), while asthmatics were exposed to 10 microg/m(3). Lung function and airway inflammation were assessed by symptom scores, pulmonary function tests, and airway nitric oxide parameters. Airway inflammatory cells were measured via induced sputum analysis in several of the protocols. There were no differences in any of these measurements in normal or asthmatic subjects when exposed to ultrafine particles at concentrations of 10 or 25 microg/m(3). However, exposing 16 normal subjects to the higher concentration of 50 microg/m(3) caused a reduction in maximal midexpiratory flow rate (-4.34 +/- 1.78% [ultrafine particles] vs. +1.08 +/- 1.86% [air], p =.042) and carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (-1.76 +/- 0.66 ml/min/mm Hg [ultrafine particles] vs. -0.18 +/- 0.41 ml/min/mm Hg [air], p =.040) at 21 h after exposure. There were no consistent differences in symptoms, induced sputum, or exhaled nitric oxide parameters in any of these studies. These results suggest that exposure to carbon ultrafine particles results in mild small-airways dysfunction together with impaired alveolar gas exchange in normal subjects. These effects do not appear related to airway inflammation. Additional studies are required to confirm these findings in normal subjects, compare them with additional susceptible patient populations, and determine their pathophysiologic mechanisms.
Confirmation and fine mapping of the chromosome 1 alcohol dependence risk locus.

Two previous large genetic linkage studies in the US population have implicated an area in chromosome 1p to contain a susceptibility gene for alcohol dependence. The 1-LOD support interval of the linkage signal spans about 30 cM and contains >30 000 000 DNA base pairs (bp) and 700 predicted genes. In order to reduce the size of the candidate area and potentially identify novel candidate genes within this region, we fine-mapped this area using closely spaced short tandem repeat (STR) markers and the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) in small nuclear families. The subjects were 87 European-American families including one or more alcohol-dependent offspring (93 children and 174 parents). The initial marker set consisted of 30 STR markers, spanning the Marshfield map interval between 101.48 and 130.73 cM. Using the TDTPHASE program, we identified three markers in the distal part of this region (125–126 cM), which showed evidence of transmission disequilibrium. On the basis of this result, an additional 12 STR markers were genotyped in this region; some of these markers provided additional evidence for linkage disequilibrium. The strongest evidence for transmission disequilibrium was obtained at the marker D1S406 (P=0.005, 126.16 cM), with supporting evidence from three neighboring STR markers D1S424 (126.16 cM, P=0.01), D1S2804 (126.16 cM, P=0.04), and D1S2776 (126.16 cM, P=0.02), which are all located within a <350 000 bp interval. These findings suggest that a gene (or genes) causing susceptibility to alcohol dependence resides near location 126.16 cM on chromosome 1. In addition, these results provide independent confirmation of the linkage finding regarding the identification of at least one gene in this region increasing the risk for alcohol dependence.
Enzalutamide: an evidence-based review of its use in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Introduction Enzalutamide is an oral androgen receptor (AR) signaling inhibitor that was specifically engineered to overcome castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) harboring AR amplification or overexpression. Enzalutamide has demonstrated significant activity in men with metastatic CRPC.
Backscattering analysis of thin films on non-flat surfaces

Abstract In order to allow for the analysis of contaminant layers on powder surfaces, methods of adapting ion beam analysis techniques for use on non-flat surfaces have been developed. In this work, particular attention is given to situations where the dimensions of the surface structures are much larger than the thickness of the film, but much smaller than the ion beam spot size. It is assumed that the surface material is conformal and evenly distributed across the surface. Two methods are discussed; both are designed to analyze backscattered ion energy spectra through the use of available simulation programs. These methods rely on knowledge of the distribution of surface-normal to beam-direction angles present on the surface shape to be studied. Examples of this and other relevant distribution functions corresponding to several types of surface shape will be shown. The methods described here are used to study oxide layers grown thermally on small (≈ 130 μm) spherical titanium powder particles. We also show examples of how to empirically determine the distribution of surface tilt angles present on a surface of unknown shape when the nature of the surface film is known.