General Purpose Computer (GPC) to GPC systems interface description

The General Purpose Computer (GPC) 'subsystem' of the Orbiter Data Processing System was described. Two interface areas are discussed. One is the area of GPC intraconnections and intracommunications involving the hardware/software interface between the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and the Input/Output Processor (IOP). The other is the area of GPC interconnections and intercommunications and involves the hardware/software interface between the five Orbiter GPC's. Based on the detailed GPC interface given, it is felt that the basic CPU to IOP interface and the GPC to GPC interface have the potential for trouble free operation. However, due to the complexity of the interface and the criticality of GPC synchronization to overall avionics performance, the GPC to GPC interface should be carefully evaluated when attempting to resolve test anomalies that may involve GPC timing and synchronization errors

Exploiting the capacity of 1mm PMMA step-index polymer optical fibers

Three different techniques are discussed that are currently under investigation at Siemens Corporate Technology – Information and Communications in order to exploit the bandwidth capacity of 1 mm PMMA Step-Index Polymer Optical Fiber (SI-POF). By using Adaptive Multitone Modulation (AMTM) a record result of 540 Mb/s transmission over 100 m of SI-POF is achieved

Condyloma Overgrowth Caused by Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome

A 46-year-old man with human immunodeficiency virus presented with a condyloma that formed during 6 months and encased his penis, scrotum, and perineum. Visible condyloma growth began when this immunocompromised patient started highly active antiretroviral therapy, and it grew rapidly as his viral load plummeted. The patient underwent resection and reconstruction with skin grafting. Pathology findings revealed benign condyloma acuminatum. This rapid progression of condyloma growth is a cutaneous manifestation of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome

Synchronous genitourinary lichen sclerosus signals a distinct urinary microbiome profile in men with urethral stricture disease.

PurposeAlterations in the urinary microbiome have been associated with urological diseases. The microbiome of patients with urethral stricture disease (USD) remains unknown. Our objective is to examine the microbiome of USD with a focus on inflammatory USD caused by lichen sclerosus (LS).MethodsWe collected mid-stream urine samples from men with LS-USD (cases; n = 22) and non-LS USD (controls; n = 76). DNA extraction, PCR amplification of the V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene, and sequencing was done on the samples. Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were defined using a > 97% sequence similarity threshold. Alpha diversity measurements of diversity, including microbiome richness (number of different OTUs) and evenness (distribution of OTUs) were calculated and compared. Microbiome beta diversity (difference between microbial communities) relationships with cases and controls were also assessed.ResultsFifty specimens (13 cases and 37 controls) produced a 16S rRNA amplicon. Mean sample richness was 25.9 vs. 16.8 (p = 0.076) for LS-USD vs. non-LS USD, respectively. LS-USD had a unique profile of bacteria by taxonomic order including Bacillales, Bacteroidales and Pasteurellales enriched urine. The beta variation of observed bacterial communities was best explained by the richness.ConclusionsMen with LS-USD may have a unique microbiologic richness, specifically inclusive of Bacillales, Bacteroidales and Pasteurellales enriched urine compared to those with non-LS USD. Further work will be required to elucidate the clinical relevance of these variations in the urinary microbiome

Lupus cystitis presenting with urinary symptoms.

We present a case of a young woman presenting with irritative lower urinary tract symptoms and microscopic hematuria who was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Abdominal ultrasound revealed bilateral hydronephrosis and a thickened bladder wall. Cystoscopic evaluation revealed severe diffuse inflammation, erythema and hemorrhage at the trigone with punctate extensions to the bladder base. She was treated with prednisone and mycophenolate mofetil with improvements in her symptoms and ultrasound findings. Lupus cystitis is a rare manifestation of SLE

Machine-learning the phase diagram of a strongly-interacting Fermi gas

We determine the phase diagram of strongly correlated fermions in the crossover from Bose-Einstein condensates of molecules (BEC) to Cooper pairs of fermions (BCS) utilizing an artificial neural network. By applying advanced image recognition techniques to the momentum distribution of the fermions, a quantity which has been widely considered as featureless for providing information about the condensed state, we measure the critical temperature and show that it exhibits a maximum on the bosonic side of the crossover. Additionally, we back-analyze the trained neural network and demonstrate that it interprets physically relevant quantities

Use of GoFundMe® to crowdfund complementary and alternative medicine treatments for cancer.

PurposeComplementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is common amongst cancer patients. However, there is growing concern about its safety and efficacy. Online crowdfunding campaigns represent a unique avenue to understand the cancer patient's perspective for using CAM or declining conventional cancer therapy (CCT).MethodsFive hundred GoFundMe campaigns from 2012 to 2019 detailing financial need for cancer treatment were randomly selected and reviewed for endorsement of CAM use, reasons for using CAM, and reasons for declining CCT. Descriptive statistics were used to compare patient and campaign characteristics between 250 CAM users and 250 non-CAM users.ResultsCompared to non-CAM users, CAM users were more likely to be female (70% vs. 54%, p < 0.01), to report more stage IV cancer (54% vs. 12%, p < 0.01), and to have a history of delayed, missed, or misdiagnosis (10% vs. 4%, p < 0.01). Reasons for using CAM include endorsing curative/therapeutic effects 212 (85%), pain/stress reduction 137 (55%), and dissatisfaction with current or past medical treatment options 105 (42%). 87 (35%) CAM users that declined CCT reported that they wanted to try to fight off cancer using CAM first 57 (61%), that CCT was too "toxic" to the body 39 (42%), and cancer was already too advanced, so that CCT would be futile or too aggressive 25 (27%).ConclusionCancer patients on GoFundMe using CAM highly value quality of life, comfort, and autonomy. Physicians should educate themselves on CAM to set realistic expectations and provide comprehensive counseling of the risks and benefits of CAM usage to patients who choose to use CAM to either augment or completely replace CCT

Qualitative Analysis of the Content Found in Online Discussion Boards for Urethral Stricture Disease and Urethroplasty.

ObjectiveTo describe the patient experience and chief concerns with urethroplasty to improve physician understanding and patient education. Online discussion boards allow patients with urethral stricture disease (USD) to connect with other USD patients. It is unknown how men use these web resources and what information is available about urethroplasty.MethodsThree online forums featuring urethroplasty were identified by Google search. Thematic analysis categorized the content of posts using manually applied codes, with inter-rater reliability and descriptive statistics generated by Dedoose (Los Angeles, CA).ResultsA total of 140 unique posters contributed 553 posts to the forums. Posts were categorized as information support (n = 651), issues posturethroplasty (n = 470), own experience preurethroplasty (n = 336), feelings towards other posters (n = 312), what to expect posturethroplasty (n = 265), feelings after urethroplasty (n = 228), and considerations before urethroplasty (n = 134). Experience navigating the healthcare system with USD (n = 141) and weak urine stream (n = 70) were the most frequent preurethroplasty complaints. Postoperative pain (n = 164) was the most frequent issue. Patients expressed more positivity (n = 126) and satisfaction (n = 120) than negativity (n = 33) with urethroplasty.ConclusionPatients participated in online discussions to share experiences with USD and urethroplasty, receive emotional support, and find answers. Men were more often satisfied than not with their urethroplasty outcomes, with 88% of postoperative feelings coded as positive or satisfied compared to negative. This study provides physicians with insight into the experiences of patients and how to best educate them