cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Colloids in the intensive care unit

Purpose The most recent published evidence on the use of colloids versus crystalloids in critical care is reviewed, with a focus on population-dependent differences in safety and efficacy. Summary Colloids offer a number of theoretical advantages over crystalloids for fluid resuscitation, but some colloids (e.g., hydroxyethyl starch solutions, dextrans) can have serious adverse effects, and albumin products entail higher costs. The results of the influential Saline Versus Albumin Fluid Evaluation (SAFE) trial and a subsequent SAFE subgroup analysis indicated that colloid therapy should not be used in patients with traumatic brain injury and other forms of trauma due to an increased mortality risk relative to crystalloid therapy. With regard to patients with severe sepsis, two meta-analyses published in 2011, which collectively evaluated 82 trials involving nearly 10,000 patients, indicated comparable outcomes with the use of either crystalloids or albumins. For patients requiring extracorporeal cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) during heart surgery, the available evidence supports the use of a colloid, particularly albumin, for CPB circuit priming and postoperative volume expansion. In select patients with burn injury, the published evidence supports the use of supplemental colloids if adequate urine output cannot be maintained with a crystalloid-only rescue strategy. Conclusion The results of the SAFE trial and a subgroup analysis of SAFE data suggest that colloids should be avoided in patients with trauma and traumatic brain injury. There are minimal differences in outcome between crystalloids and hypo-oncotic or iso-oncotic albumin for fluid resuscitation in severe sepsis; in select populations, such as patients undergoing cardiac surgery, the use of iso-oncotic albumin may confer a survival advantage and should be considered a first-line alternative.
The Role of Natural IgG and Complement in the Phagocytosis of Type 4 Neisseria gonorrhoeae by Human Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes

The role of human serum components in the phagocytosis of logarithmic-phase type 4 Neisseria gonorrhoeae by human polymorphononuclear leukocytes was investigated. The requirement of fresh normal human serum (FHS) for optimal phagocytosis and the fixation of human immunoglobulin (IgG) and complenet (C3) to the gonococcal cell surface suggested that both serum factors participate in the phagocytosis of these organisms. The percentage of neutrophils containing ingested organisms was directly proportional to the concentration of IgG purified from FHS. Absorption studies suggested that this natural IgG binds to a trypsin-sensitive surface protein on type 4 gonococci and cross-reacts with stationary-phase type 2 N. gonorrhoeae, group C Neisseria meningitidis, and Branhamella catarrhalis, but not with logarithmic-phase type 2 gonococci or other Neisseria species. Although complement alone did not promote phagocytosis, it enhanced IgG-mediated ingestion. Studies using C2-deficient serum or serum chelators indicated that the alternative complement pathway participates in this interaction.
Dexamethasone-lnduced Phospholipase A2-Inhibitory Proteins (PLIP) Influenced by the H-2 Histocompatibility Region:

Recent work has indicated that the H-2 histocompatibility complex on chromosome 17 influences the degree of glucocorticoid-induced teratogenicity and anti-inflammatory response. Since both of these hormonal actions appear to be mediated by the induction of phospholipase A2-inhibitory proteins (PLIP), the influence of the H-2 complex on the induction of PLIP by glucocorticoids in thymocytes and embryonic palates has been investigated. Analysis of dexamethasone-induced PLIP by Sephadex G-100 revealed four peaks of mol wt 55,000, 40,000, 28,000 and 15,000 in mouse thymocytes and from one to three of these PLIPs in mouse embryonic palates. The 55,000 mol wt PLIP comprised 50-60% of the total activity. The total amount of dexamethasone-induced PLIP is significantly higher in B10.A (H-2a) thymocytes than that in thymocytes of their congenic resistant partners, B10 (H-2b). The induced level of PLIP in the embryonic palates treated with dexamethasone is also significantly higher in the H-2a congenic strains with either the A or B background (AWy or B10.A) than that in their resistant partners (A.BY or B10). Thus, both susceptibility to glucocorticoid-induced cleft palate and the production of PLIP by this hormone are influenced by the H-2 complex.
Polarization in Heavy-Ion Scattering

Elastic-scattering polarization P and inelastic-scattering spin-flip probabilities P1 are calculated in a model1) for the spin-orbit interaction. The model considers a single valence orbit bound to a spin-zero core. Both 13C and 15N can be so considered, since their 1p1/2 spectroscopic factors S are large2). The single-nucleon spin-orbit interaction with the target nucleus VNso is averaged over the nucleon motion in the 1p1/2 orbital to give the projectile-nucleus spin-orbit interaction Vso (R).
Brown, Brandon R. Planck: Driven by Vision, Broken by War Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press 258 pp., $29.95, ISBN 978-0-19-021947-5 Publication Date: June 2015

The German physicist Max Planck is a compelling character in the history of physics. He won a Nobel Prize in 1918 for introducing the idea of energy quanta, a discovery that was subsequently hailed...
Overview of Vascular Trauma

Penetrating trauma to the neck is divided by zones, and involvement of the common carotid or internal carotid arteries can lead to stroke and death; blunt cerebrovascular trauma affects less than 1 % of all blunt trauma patients but can lead to a high rate of stroke and death as penetrating trauma. Optimal management of these injuries depends on the extent of injury and the vessel that is affected, and both open surgical and endovascular options are available. Penetrating trauma to the thoracic vasculature is rapidly fatal in most circumstances; blunt trauma to the arch and descending aorta is increasingly managed using intravascular ultrasound and endovascular stent graft placement. Major abdominal trauma is found in one in seven patients with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, and a variety of open and endovascular techniques can be used to treat the injury depending on the particular site and overall patient condition. Peripheral artery trauma can often be treated with placement of a covered stent or a bypass using autogenous conduit. Venous trauma is often more difficult to manage due to difficulty with exposure and extent of dissection necessary to achieve proximal and distal control, and simple ligation is often the most appropriate course of action in damage control surgery. An appreciation of the overall management of a variety of arterial and venous injuries may help guide the overall care of the polytrauma patient in a multidisciplinary environment.
Temporal and Doppler coherence limits for the underwater acoustic channel during the LCAS'15 high duty cycle sonar experiment

Unlike conventional Pulsed Active Sonar (PAS) which listens for target echoes in between short-burst transmissions, High Duty Cycle (HDC) sonar attempts to detect echoes amidst the continual interference from source(s) transmitting with nearly 100% duty cycle. Continuous transmission waveforms may be of several types. Linear Frequency Modulated waveforms (LFMs) provide good range measurements but less accurate target Doppler; Continuous Wave signals (CWs) provide good Doppler measurements but less accurate target range. More sophisticated waveforms (e.g. PRNs) attempt to combine the positive effects of both of these waveforms. The potential advantage of HDC waveforms is either increased time-bandwidth product processing gain, or an increased number of detection opportunities, depending on the selection of the sonar receiver's processing time window (interval). For continuous time LFM (CTLFM) waveforms, very large time-bandwidth products can be achieved (about more than one order of magnitude larger than PAS waveforms). However, there are practical limits to the amount of coherent time-bandwidth gain that is achievable, due to the temporal and Doppler spreading effects of the underwater acoustic channel. This paper investigates the temporal and Doppler coherence limits of the underwater channel experienced during the Littoral Continuous Active Sonar 2015 experiment (LCAS'15), and compares them to theoretical expectations.
Radical conflict: essays on violence, intractability, and communication

In the Foreword (‘Toward Sustainable Mediation of Radical Conflict’), Abdullah Ahmed An-Na’im frames this collection of essays by emphatically insisting on an agonistic view of human existence. But...
Geographical interpretation of measurements of average phase velocities of surface waves over great circular and great semi-circular paths

ABSTRACT If the averages of the reciprocal phase velocity c −1 of a given Rayleigh or Love mode over various great circular or great semicircular paths are known, information can be extracted about how c −1 varies with geographical position. Assuming that geometrical optics is applicable, it is shown that if c −1 is isotropic its great circular averages determine only the sum of the values of c −1 at antipodal points and not their difference. The great semicircular averages determine the difference as well. If c −1 is anisotropic through any cause other than the earth9s rotation, even great semicircular averages do not determine c −1 completely. Rotation has negligible effect on Love waves, and if it is the only anisotropy present its effect on Rayleigh waves can be measured and removed by comparing the averages of c −1 for the two directions of travel around any great circle not intersecting the poles of rotation. Only great circular and great semicircular paths are considered because every earthquake produces two averages of c −1 over such paths for each seismic station. No other paths permit such rapid accumulation of data when the azimuthal variations of the earthquakes9 radiation patterns are unknown. Expansion of the data in generalized spherical harmonics circumvents the fact that the explicit formulas for c −1 in terms of its great circular or great semicircular integrals require differentiation of the data. Formulas are given for calculating the generalized spherical harmonics numerically.
A branch-cut-and-price algorithm for the generalized vehicle routing problem

AbstractWe develop a branch-cut-and-price algorithm for the generalized vehicle routing problem (GVRP)—a variant of the vehicle routing problem where customers are partitioned into mutually exclusive clusters. The decision-maker seeks to determine minimum cost routes using a limited number of vehicles such that every cluster is visited by exactly one route, and within any cluster a single customer is visited, subject to vehicle capacity constraints. The pricing subproblem is solved using a specialized dynamic programming algorithm. Computational results show that the proposed algorithm compares favorably against a state-of-the-art branch-and-cut algorithm and solves to optimality eight previously open GVRP instances in the literature.
Dark matter and neutrino mass from the smallest non-Abelian chiral dark sector

All pieces of concrete evidence for phenomena outside the standard model (SM)---neutrino masses and dark matter---are consistent with the existence of new degrees of freedom that interact very weakly, if at all, with those in the SM. We propose that these new degrees of freedom organize themselves into a simple dark sector, a chiral $SU(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}SU(2)$ gauge theory with the smallest nontrivial fermion content. Similar to the SM, the dark $SU(2)$ is spontaneously broken while the dark $SU(3)$ confines at low energies. At the renormalizable level, the dark sector contains massless fermions---dark leptons---and stable massive particles---dark protons. We find that dark protons with masses between 10 and 100 TeV satisfy all current cosmological and astrophysical observations concerning dark matter even if dark protons are a symmetric thermal relic. The dark leptons play the role of right-handed neutrinos and allow simple realizations of the seesaw mechanism or the possibility that neutrinos are Dirac fermions. In the latter case, neutrino masses are also parametrically different from charged-fermion masses and the lightest neutrino is predicted to be massless. Since the new ``neutrino'' and ``dark-matter'' degrees of freedom interact with one another, these two new-physics phenomena are intertwined. Dark leptons play a nontrivial role in early Universe cosmology while indirect searches for dark matter involve, decisively, dark-matter annihilations into dark leptons. These, in turn, may lead to observable signatures at high-energy neutrino and gamma-ray observatories, especially once one accounts for the potential Sommerfeld enhancement of the annihilation cross section, derived from the low-energy dark-sector effective theory, a possibility we explore quantitatively in some detail.
From tumor suppressor to thrombus resolver

The gene p53 was originally identified in 1979 as a tumor suppressor in a multitude of human cancers (eg, colorectal, lung, and breast), where it functions as a suppressor of cancer proliferation by means of the induction of cell cycle arrest and programmed apoptosis in response to a variety of cellular stress signals. Loss of p53 or the expression of p53 gain-of-function mutations can enhance the metastatic potential of tumor cells. 1,2 However, p53 has subsequently been found to be involved in a variety of fundamental gene processes, including gene transcription, the cell cycle, the abovementioned programmed cell death, DNA replication, and DNA repair. Now, for example, p53 is known to regulate and mediate vascular remodeling and wound healing, 1 with effects on adhesion molecules and, relevant to fibrinolysis, the expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. 3,4
Teaching agile methodologies and DevOps/CI/CD in the classroom: concepts, techniques, modalities: panel discussion

This panel will address various techniques for teaching agile and DevOps/Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment methodologies in the classroom. Both online and in-class modalities are addressed.
Exploration of Online Health Support Groups Through the Lens of Sentiment Analysis

Online health support groups have been gaining prominence in supporting patients and their caregivers. However, it stays as a challenge to understand the role they play in the life of their members. In this paper, we propose a novel approach in utilizing sentiment analysis to explore the dynamics and impact of online health support groups. We present our sentiment analysis model designed for social media support groups and our preliminary results in utilizing the model to understand a Facebook support group for patients with Sickle Cell Disease.
A Description of Advertisements for Alcohol on LinkNYC Kiosks in Manhattan, New York City: A Pilot Study.

Excessive alcohol consumption compromises health and increases risk of mortality. Advertisements for alcohol in city environments have been shown to influence consumption. The aim of this pilot study was to estimate the prevalence of alcohol advertisements displayed on LinkNYC kiosks, a new communication channel that provides outdoor Wi-Fi access and advertising on streets within urban environments. Direct observations were conducted to document advertisements on a 20% random sample of the 500 LinkNYC kiosks in Manhattan, NYC. From May to September of 2017, each of the 100 selected kiosks was observed for a 10-min period to document advertisements for alcohol. In addition, differences in prevalence of alcohol advertisements were examined by the location of the kiosk based on NYC zip codes’ median annual income. Of the 2025 advertisements observed, 5.09% (N = 103) were for an alcohol product (including duplicates). Such advertisements were observed on 17% of the kiosks. No health warnings or age warnings were presented in any of the alcohol advertisements. Compared with kiosks located in zip codes with lower median annual income, significantly more alcohol advertisements were displayed in zip codes with higher median annual income. This is the first study to estimate the prevalence of alcohol advertising on the LinkNYC Wi-Fi and telecommunication system, now ubiquitous on Manhattan’s sidewalks. This study adds to the current literature that suggests New York City residents could benefit from health-promoting versus health-compromising advertising. The findings also highlight the potential of LinkNYC kiosk marketing to undermine health-related social marketing efforts by City government and other organizations.
Flow Rates at Thirty Days after Construction of Radiocephalic Arteriovenous Fistula Predict Hemodialysis Function.

BACKGROUND Construction of radiocephalic arteriovenous fistula (RC-AVF) results in successful hemodialysis (HD) in approximately 40% of end-stage renal disease patients. We investigated whether RC-AVF flow measured by ultrasound 30 days postoperative predicted successful HD. METHODS In this prospective study, color Doppler ultrasound was used to measure cephalic vein outflow volume at 3 forearm sites at 1 and 3 months postoperatively. RESULTS Of 45 consecutive patients screened for feasibility of RC-AVF by physical examination and US arterial and vein mapping, 41 were considered suitable for construction of RC-AVF. Mean age was 70 (60-78) years. Of the 41 patients who had a forearm RC-AVF, 25 (61%) proceeded to successful AVF dialysis, 4 (10%) had HD via central venous catheter, and 12 (29%) ceased function within the first 30 days postoperatively. The mean flow at 30 days for patent fistulas was 629 ± 305 ml/min and by the third month had increased to 663 ± 367 mL/min. At 1 month, 8/29 (27.6%) patients had a flow rate <400 mL/min. Two (25%) of these clotted, 2 of 3 with closed revisions went on to HD, and 1 died. Of the 21 patients with a flow rate ≥400 mL/min, 19 (90%) functioned for HD, and 2 (10%) AVF occluded before 1 year, resulting in 17 functioning at 1 year (81% 1-year patency). Sixty-two percent of the low-flow fistulas had successful patency within 1 year. CONCLUSIONS An RC-AVF flow rate of ≥400 mL/min in the first month predicted more successful HD than low flow (<400 mL/min) (81% vs. 62%). Without intervention, low flow rates do not improve significantly and maturation is unlikely. We recommend imaging for all patients at 30 days to identify and promptly correct stenosis in those with low flow rates.
Feeling Heard and Understood in the Hospital Environment: Benchmarking Communication Quality Among Patients With Advanced Cancer Before and After Palliative Care Consultation.

Abstract Context Maximizing value in palliative care requires continued development and standardization of communication quality indicators. Objectives To describe the basic epidemiology of a newly adopted patient-centered communication quality indicator for hospitalized palliative care patients with advanced cancer. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of 207 advanced cancer patients who received palliative care consultation at two medical centers in the U.S. Participants completed the Heard & Understood quality indicator immediately before and the day after the initial palliative care consultation: Over the past two days [“24 hours” for the post-consultation version], how much have you felt heard and understood by the doctors, nurses, and hospital staff?—completely/quite a bit/moderately/slightly/not at all. We categorized completely as indicating ideal quality. Results Approximately one-third indicated ideal Heard & Understood quality before palliative care consultation. Age, financial security, emotional distress, preferences for comfort-longevity tradeoffs at the end of life, and prognosis expectations were associated with preconsultation quality. Among those with less-than-ideal quality at baseline, 56% rated feeling more Heard & Understood the day after palliative care consultation. The greatest prepost improvement was among people who had unformed end-of-life treatment preferences or who reported having no idea about their prognosis at baseline. Conclusion Most patients felt incompletely heard and understood at the time of referral to palliative care consultation, and more than half of the patients improved after consultation. Feeling heard and understood is an important quality indicator sensitive to interventions to improve care and key variations in the patient experience.
The politics of security assistance in the horn of Africa

This examination of international security assistance to Somalia points to the deficiencies of conventional security assistance strategies to partners in failed states and considers elements of an ...
Noise-immune high-speed holographic vibrometry

A new temporal phase sampling method is presented that is immune to uncontrolled spatiotemporal object and setup vibrations. Temporal scans of continuous phase shifts provide the feedback to reconstruct spatially uniform phase shifted holograms.
Investigation of the Influence of Hint Type on Problem Solving Behavior in a Logic Proof Tutor

Within intelligent tutoring systems, hint policies are needed to determine when and how to give hints and what type of hint is most beneficial. In this study, we focus on discovering whether certain hint types influence problem solving behavior. We investigate the influence of two hint types (next-step hints and more abstract high-level hints) on students’ behavior in a college-level logic proof tutor, Deep Thought. The results suggest that hint types can affect student behavior, including hint usage, rule applications, and time in-tutor.
Depression, Executive Dysfunction, and Prior Economic and Social Vulnerability Associations in Incarcerated African American Men

Low executive function (EF) and depression are each determinants of health. This study examined the synergy between deficits in EF (impaired cognitive flexibility; >75th percentile on the Wisconsin...
The Mitochondrial Adenosine Triphosphatase

In the previous chapter we saw that the ATPase activity of coupled mitochondria is dramatically stimulated by uncouplers and more generally by conditions that interrupt the flow of energy from the electron transfer chain to the coupling device. These observations have for a long time been interpreted to indicate that the ATPase is involved in the terminal steps of oxidative phosphorylation and that under normal circumstances, i.e., in the coupled state, its primary function is that of an ATP synthetase or kinase. This is supported by the following evidence. 1. There is a good correlation between uncoupling and the appearance of ATPase activity in mitochondria. 2. Isolated components of the ATPase (coupling factors) stimulate oxidative phosphorylation in certain types of submitochondrial particles. 3. Inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation are also potent inhibitors of the ATPase. 4. Antibodies against the ATPase inhibit oxidative phosphorylation in submitochondrial particles. 5. Purified preparations of the ATPase complex are capable of catalyzing partial reactions of oxidative phosphorylation (e.g., ATP-Pi exchange). 6. Oxidative phosphorylation can be reconstituted in simple systems consisting of a purified respiratory complex and of the ATPase. 7. Membranes that carry out the coupled synthesis of ATP (mitochondria, chloroplasts, bacterial membranes) contain ATPases that are remarkably similar in protein composition and structure.
What Will Happen to Permanent Left Ventricular Assist Device Recipients? Clues from Long-Term Outcomes of Heterotopic Heart Transplants

Donor organ shortage and successful experience with left ventricular assist devices as a bridge to transplantation have prompted us to consider a permanent alternative to transplantation. However, we have little information on the long-term follow-up, because the left ventricular assist device has been used as a bridge to transplantation for a period of just over one year. In recipients of a left ventricular assist device, the potential heart-related complications expected include arrhythmia, thromboembolism, valvular heart disease, and progression of ischemic heart disease. Heterotopic heart transplantation (in which the native heart is retained) may be a good model to study long-term pathophysiological processes in the native heart. We analyzed the prevalence of native-heart-related complications in heterotopic heart transplantation to help in predicting the performance of the native heart in patients with a permanent left ventricular assist device. Between December 1984 and December 1994, 16 patients (13 men, 3 women, 37–60 years old) underwent heterotopic heart transplantation at the University of Pittsburgh. The indication for heterotopic heart transplantation in all recipients was pulmonary hypertension unresponsive to vasodilators. The one- and five-year survival rates after transplantation were 81% and 44%. Pulmonary hemodynamics improved significantly after the operation. The actuarial percentages of patients free of complications related to the native heart after one and four years were, respectively: ventricular arrhythmia: 85%, 75%; ischemic heart disease: 85%, 64%; and valvular heart disease: 100%, 88%. The actuarial freedom from all these complications was 70% after one year and 50% after four years. These results will give us an indication of the native heart performance to expect in the patient with a permanent left ventricular assist device.
Decomposition of14C- and15N-labeled organisms in soil under anaerobic conditions

Carbon and nitrogen mineralized from soil under waterlogged conditions may come from the soil microbial biomass pool and potentially could be used for biomass estimations.14C and15N labeled cells added to soil were monitored for decomposition under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Under aerobic conditions 12–42% of the added organism C was mineralized and 1–30% of the N. Under waterlogged conditions 13–33% of the C and 4–13% of the N was mineralized. The mineralized organism C as a percent of the total C evolved was consistent for both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, however the nitrogen showed extreme variations
Should Social Security and Medicare Be More Market-Based?

Contemporary political debate about Social Security and Medicare often conflates the issue of the programs’ long-term fiscal sustainability with that of whether their design should be made more market-based, such as by transforming Social Security into a private accounts program and Medicare into a voucher-based program. In fact, the sustainability and design issues are fundamentally separate.This article assesses the case for making the programs more market-based by using two main conceptual vehicles: (1) the model for understanding the programs’ substantive features and rationales that I offered in my books, Making Sense of Social Security Reform and Who Should Pay for Medicare?, and (2) Paul Samuelson’s classic description of Social Security as providing what we would now call an implicit financial instrument that reflects an intergenerational compact. In the end, it reaches largely skeptical conclusions about altering the programs to use either private accounts or vouchers.
Amino acid digestibility of corn distillers’ dried grains with solubles with the addition of casein in pigs

This experiment was conducted to determine the ileal digestibility of CP and AA in casein by regression analysis and to investigate the effects of casein in experimental diets on the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of CP and AA in corn distillers' dried grains with solubles (DDGS) fed to pigs. Twenty barrows (initial BW = 50.5 ± 4.46 kg) surgically fitted with T-cannulas at the distal ileum were used. Eighteen pigs were assigned to a triplicate 6 × 3 incomplete Latin Square design with 6 diets and 3 periods. Two pigs were used as replacements. Three diets were prepared to contain 60, 100, or 140 g/kg casein to determine the ileal digestibility of CP and AA in casein by regression analysis, and 2 diets were prepared to contain either 480 g/kg DDGS or 308 g/kg DDGS and 60 g/kg casein. Casein and DDGS were the sources of nitrogen (N) in experimental diets. A N-free diet was prepared based on cornstarch and dextrose. Experimental periods consisted of 5 d of adaptation and 2 d of ileal digesta collection periods. The AID of CP and AA in casein linearly increased (P < 0.01) with increasing concentration of casein in the diets. The SID of indispensable AA in casein ranged from 94.7% (SEM = 1.16) for Ile in pigs fed the diet containing 60 g/kg casein to 103.3% (SEM = 2.21) for Arg in pigs fed the diet containing 100 g/kg casein. Except for Arg, pigs fed the diet containing DDGS and casein had greater (P < 0.001) SID of CP and indispensable AA than those fed the diet containing DDGS without casein. The ileal digestibility of indispensable AA in casein determined by regression analysis ranged from 96.8% (SE = 3.14) for Thr to 103.1% (SE = 4.40) for Arg. The AID and SID of CP and AA for DDGS in the diet containing casein were calculated by difference method using the ileal digestibility of CP and AA in casein determined by regression analysis. The AID of Lys for DDGS in the diet containing casein was greater (P = 0.035) than those without casein; however, the AID of CP and the other indispensable AA, except for Arg, Phe, and Trp, for DDGS in the diet containing casein was less (P < 0.05) than those without casein. The SID of Lys and Phe for DDGS in the diet containing casein was greater (P < 0.05) than those without casein. In conclusion, improved AA composition in semi-purified experimental diets may affect the SID of AA in low-quality protein ingredients.
Surgical Navigation Technology

Surgical navigation is a method to guide surgery using medical images as a guidance map. The goal of surgical navigation is to maximize the treatment effect of surgery while minimizing trauma to patients by avoiding damage to critical structures. The most common form of surgical navigation is image-guided surgical navigation, which is mainly used to perform open surgery in a minimally invasive fashion. An advanced form of surgical navigation uses image-directed robots as guides or even tools to perform operative maneuvers for an operating physician. The most recent form of surgical navigation is ablation and radiation therapy directed by image guidance, which evolved from surgical navigation using the available technology. The technologies that make surgical navigation possible include surgical planning, guidance workstations, tool tracking, and patient-to-image registration. All current methods of surgical navigation were made possible by the progress in computer and sensor technology in the last two decades. The future direction of surgical navigation may involve intraoperative imaging as well as simulation of treatment effects from intraoperative imaging.
A Frequency-Reconfigurable Cavity-Backed Slot Antenna ESPAR in H Plane

A novel frequency-reconfigurable cavity-backed slot antenna ESPAR in the H plane is presented in this paper. Similar to other ESPAR antennas, the two parasitic cavities lying in the H plane are fed by the center driven cavity through coupling irises and terminated with varactors to provide variable loading impedances. By properly designing the loading impedance, continuous beamscanning in the H plane can be realized. Additionally, a pair of varactors are placed in the center of the slot to achieve a 47.7% frequency tuning range, while preserving the beamscanning performance at each operating frequency. Therefore, the proposed ESPAR is able to provide frequency diversity in addition to spatial diversity inherent in a fixed-frequency ESPAR. It is shown that the proposed ESPAR can steer its beam from -26 to 26 degrees in the H plane. By properly adjusting the frequency tuning varactors, the ESPAR can operate from 4.22 to 6.82 GHz and the impedance matching is maintained for all beamscanning angles.
Board leadership structure and corporate headquarters location

This study examines empirically if corporate headquarters location matters for board leadership structure under different asymmetric information settings. We examine the impact of corporate headquarters location on CEO duality for the period 1998–2013. Using the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) to define the location of corporate headquarters, we find that metropolitan firms are more likely to have CEO-Chairman duality than rural firms. Utilizing idiosyncratic risk and analyst forecast error or dispersion to proxy for information asymmetry, we find that metropolitan firms are more likely to have CEO-chairman duality than rural firms in the low information asymmetry setting. Our findings suggest that corporate headquarters location is an important determinant of board leadership structure.
Treatment of Dopamine Dysregulation Syndrome and Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease

Impulse control disorders (ICDs) related to Parkinson’s disease (PD) have been increasingly recognized since the initial descriptions more than a decade ago. While some of the initial descriptions of compulsive gambling, buying, sexual behavior, and eating were quite spectacular, awareness by both the patient/family and health-care communities has led to earlier recognition and management and fewer consequences. In addition to these behaviors, others include punding (stereotyped, repetitive, purposeless behaviors), compulsive medication use, or the dopamine dysregulation syndrome (DDS), and, more recently, the dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome (DAWS) has been recognized and defined. Risk factors for these behaviors have included the use of dopamine agonists (DAs), male sex, younger age, a history of ICDs, and a personal or family history of substance abuse, bipolar disorder, or gambling problems. This chapter will review current and potential future strategies for the management of these psychiatric symptoms in the setting of PD. The case described is an extremely challenging clinical array of initial resistance to therapy and then dependence on dopamine replacement on the background of anxiety and depression. The 9-year history of her care is intended to illustrate the subtleties of this syndrome. Early, straightforward descriptions of addictive behaviors are referenced for further reading.
THE CAUSE AND NEUROIMAGING FINDINGS IN PEDIATRIC ARTERIAL ISCHEMIC STROKE

Objective: To determine the causes of arterial ischemic stroke and neuroimaging findings in children. Study Design: An observational, prospective, cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Paediatirc Neurology, Children’s Hospital & Institute of Child Health, Lahore for a period of six months from Nov 2014 to Apr 2015. Material and Methods: Children from 1 month to 18 years of age with radiologically confirmed arterial ischemic stroke, occurring 1st time in life, were included in the study. Arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) was confirmed on the basis of history, examination and neuroimaging findings of the brain. Further investigations were done according to the cause of arterial ischemic stroke and neuroimaging brain findings. Results: A total of 72 patients of arterial ischemic stroke were identified over a period of 6 months. Among these, male predominance was found in 53 (73%) children. Outpatient department patients outnumbered the indoor patients with stroke in 38 (53%) children. Children between 1-5 years of age were the most affected ones (65%). Hemiplagia, fits, hemiparesis and aphasia were the most common presenting features affecting 60 (83%), 27 (38%), 14 (19%) and 8 (11%) children respectively. The commonest cause of arterial ischemic stroke was iron deficiency anemia, found in 30% (n=22) of the children followed by anemia due to other causes in 27% (n=20) and congenital heart diseases in 8.3% (n=6) of the children. On neuroimaging studies, parietal lobe was the most affected part of the brain in 23% of the children (n=16). Middle
A phase 2 clinical trial assessing the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab and radiotherapy in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

Background The current study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab-mediated programmed cell death protein 1 inhibition plus radiotherapy (RT) in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer who were unselected for programmed death-ligand 1 expression. Methods The current study was a single-arm, Simon 2-stage, phase 2 clinical trial that enrolled a total of 17 patients with a median age of 52 years (range, 37-73 years). An RT dose of 3000 centigrays (cGy) was delivered in 5 daily fractions. Pembrolizumab was administered intravenously at a dose of 200 mg within 3 days of the first RT fraction, and then every 3 weeks ± 3 days until disease progression. The median follow-up was 34.5 weeks (range, 2.1-108.3 weeks). The primary endpoint of the current study was the overall response rate (ORR) at week 13 in patients with unirradiated lesions measured using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST; version 1.1). Secondary endpoints included safety and progression-free survival. Exploratory objectives were to identify biomarkers predictive of ORR and progression-free survival. Results The ORR for the entire cohort was 17.6% (3 of 17 patients; 95% CI, 4.7%-44.2%), with 3 complete responses (CRs), 1 case of stable disease, and 13 cases of progressive disease. Eight patients died prior to week 13 due to disease progression. Among the 9 women assessed using RECIST version 1.1 at week 13, 3 (33%) achieved a CR, with a 100% reduction in tumor volume outside of the irradiated portal. The CRs were durable for 18 weeks, 20 weeks, and 108 weeks, respectively. The most common grade 1 to 2 toxicity (assessed according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0) was dermatitis (29%). Four grade 3 adverse events were attributed to pembrolizumab: fatigue, lymphopenia, and infection. No were no grade 4 adverse events or treatment-related deaths reported. Conclusions The combination of pembrolizumab and RT was found to be safe and demonstrated encouraging activity in patients with poor-prognosis, metastatic, triple-negative breast cancer who were unselected for programmed death-ligand 1 expression. Larger clinical trials of checkpoint blockade plus RT with predictive biomarkers of response are needed.
Large-Eddy Simulations of Turbulent Flows around Buildings Using the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Environment–Lattice Boltzmann Model (ABLE-LBM)

ABSTRACTA three-dimensional, prognostic Atmospheric Boundary Layer Environment–Lattice Boltzmann Model (ABLE-LBM) using the multiple-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method was developed for large...
Identifying areas of degrading and improving groundwater-quality conditions in the State of California, USA, 1974–2014

Areas of improving and degrading groundwater-quality conditions in the State of California were assessed using spatial weighting of a new metric for scoring wells based on constituent concentrations and the direction and magnitude of a trend slope (Sen). Individual well scores were aggregated across 2135 equal-area grid cells covering the entire groundwater resource used for public supply in the state. Spatial weighting allows results to be aggregated locally (well or grid cell), regionally (groundwater basin), provincially, or statewide. Results differentiate degrading (increasing concentration trends) areas with low to moderate concentrations (unimpaired) from degrading areas with moderate to high concentrations (impaired). Results also differentiate improving areas (decreasing concentration trends) in the same manner. Multi-year to decadal groundwater-quality trends were computed from periodic, inorganic water-quality data for 38 constituents collected between 1974 and 2014 for compliance monitoring of nearly 13,000 public-supply wells (PSWs) in the State of California. Mann-Kendall (MK) rank correlations and Sen’s slope estimator were used to detect statistically significant trends for the entire period of recorded data (long-term trend), for the period since 2000 (recent trend), for different pumping seasons (seasonal trend), and for reversals of trends. Statewide, the most frequently detected trends since 2000 were for nitrate (36%), gross alpha/uranium (10%), arsenic (14%), total dissolved solids (TDS) (23%), and the major ions that contribute to TDS (19–28%). The Transverse and Selected Peninsular Ranges (TSPR) and the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) hydrogeologic provinces had the largest percentage of areas with moderate to high nitrate concentrations and groundwater quality trends. Improving nitrate concentrations in parts of the TSPR is associated with long-term managed aquifer recharge that has replaced historical, agriculturally affected groundwater with low-nitrate recharge in parts of the TSPR. This example suggests that application of dilute, excess surface water to agricultural fields during the winter could improve groundwater-quality in the SJV over the long term.
Common Left-to-Right Shunts

Left-to-right shunts represent a significant portion of congenital heart disease. Such lesions are common in isolation, but are frequently seen in conjunction with other, often more complex, congenital heart disease. This review covers basic anatomy, physiology, physical examination findings, diagnosis and management for atrial septal defects, ventricular septal defects, and patent ductus arteriosa.
Sales Dispersion: A Robust Factor to Consider to Achieve Alpha

How the divergence among investor opinions affects stock performance has been discussed in academia and industry for a long time without a clear conclusion. This research hypothesizes that companies with lower sales forecast dispersion can more accurately and efficiently plan strategies to optimize production, inventory control, and distribution channels, thereby minimizing waste and overall expenses. This, in turn, will increase long-term profitability. Using portfolio sorting analysis, this article documents that the lower the analyst sales dispersion, the bigger the company’s forecasting edge and the higher the probability of future stock outperformance per level of risk (alpha). Because sales is a more direct demand-driven evaluation measure than earnings and sales forecasts can be utilized to evaluate all companies, sales dispersion is more robust in predicting future stock performance than earnings dispersion. TOPICS:Performance measurement, analysis of individual factors/risk premia, wealth management Key Findings ▪ Revenue dispersion is a better factor than earnings dispersion to forecast future company and stock price performance. ▪ Revenue dispersion is robust enough to use as a factor to achieve alpha. ▪ Revenue dispersion is significantly more robust during periods of high market noise.
Euthanasia Through Cervical Dislocation or CO2 Might Affect Keel Bone Fracture Prevalence in 30-Week-Old Laying Hens

Laying hens are susceptible to keel bone fractures due to continuous endogenous calcium resorption for eggshell formation. Although it is assumed that external trauma to the keel bone is the main cause for fractures, accumulated forces or asymmetric load on a weakened bone might contribute to the high keel bone fracture prevalence found in commercial laying hens. The objective of this study was to investigate whether forces applied to the keel due to involuntary convulsions and uncontrolled wing flapping during euthanasia have the potential to cause keel bone fractures. Two hundred and seventy Dekalb White laying hens were euthanized at 30 weeks of age using cervical dislocation (n = 60) or CO2 (n = 210). All hens were x-rayed immediately before and after euthanasia. X-rays were compared side by side to detect new fractures. Four out of the 270 hens (1.5 %) obtained a fracture during euthanasia. Specifically, 0.95 % of hens euthanized with CO2 (2 out of 210) and 3.3 % of hens euthanized through cervical dislocation (2 out of 60) obtained a euthanasia-induced fracture. Based on our results, we cannot rule out that convulsions during euthanasia can cause keel bone fractures in laying hens. In studies investigating keel bone integrity in birds euthanized with CO2 or cervical dislocation, fracture prevalence might be overestimated. Future research is needed to assess whether euthanasia might be more likely to cause keel bone fractures in older birds and to quantify the frequency and strength of convulsions as a potential cause of fractures.
Intolerance of Uncertainty, Anxiety, and Career Indecision: A Mediation Model:

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) refers to the tendency to fear the unknown and to worry excessively about potential future negative outcomes. In the career decision-making process, college students...
Cervical epithelial changes over a thirteen-year period terminating in epidermoid carcinoma.

Abstract A series of biopsy sections taken from the cervix of a patient over a period of approximately twelve years and seven months, from age 46 through 58 years, has been presented. Careful re-evaluation of these sections has shown what appears to be a change from a benign hyperactive epithelium to invasive epidermoid carcinoma. Marked chronic inflammation was noted in all the tissue, and did not respond to vigorous treatment. The material presented suggests only that invasive epidermoid carcinoma of the cervix may be preceded for several years by recognizable atypical epithelial changes.
TREAT: a better match algorithm for AI production systems

This paper presents the TREAT match algorithm for AI production systems. The TREAT algorithm introduces a new method of state saving in production system interpreters called conflict-set support. Also presented are the results of an empirical study comparing the performance of the TREAT match with the commonly assumed best algorithm for this problem, the RETE match. On five different OPS5 production system programs TREAT outperformed RETE, often by more than fifty percent. This supports an unsubstantiated conjecture made by McDermott, Newell and Moore, that the state saving mechanism employed in the RETE match, condition-element support, may not be worthwhile.
Sanford Levinson's Second Thoughts About Constitutional Faith

Sanford Levinson's 1988 book, Constitutional Faith, described the U.S. Constitution as America's civil religion and closed with Levinson's statement of faith in the Constitution as "a commitment to taking political conversation seriously." In 2011, Levinson republished the book with an afterword in which he renounced his faith in the Constitution, denounced Americans' reverential attitude toward the document, and called for a new constitutional convention. In all other respects, however, the text of the book remains the same.The afterword to the 2011 edition transforms the significance of all of the previous chapters and their arguments. It changes the location and the object of Levinson's political faith, and it alters the story that Levinson wants Americans to tell themselves about the meaning of American history. This essay reexamines the book's arguments in light of its new conclusion.Once people lose faith in a relationship or an institution, they move from the "middle game" -- in which participants make mutual concessions to keep the relationship going -- to the "endgame," where participants seek to protect their interests and make a successful transition to a new life. In the same way, once people lose faith in the Constitution, it can no longer function as America's civil religion or as an aspirational source of values; instead it becomes a modus vivendi, a transitional state of affairs on the way to what participants hope will be a better political order.