cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bovine intramuscular, subcutaneous, and perirenal stromal-vascular cells express similar glucocorticoid receptor isoforms, but exhibit different adipogenic capacity.

Understanding preadipocyte differentiation in economically important adipose depots will facilitate efforts to selectively increase intramuscular (i.m.) lipid accretion in cattle. The objectives of this study were to determine if glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression differs among bovine stromal-vascular (S-V) cells derived from i.m., subcutaneous (s.c.), and peri-renal (p.r.) adipose tissue, and to evaluate the effects of dexamethasone (DEX) on adipogenesis of these cell populations. Stromal-vascular cells isolated from i.m., s.c., and p.r. adipose tissues of 2 steers were propagated in culture and exposed to 0 or 250 nM DEX for 48 h. Cell lysates were subjected to GR immunoblot analysis, and immunoreactive protein bands of approximately 97, approximately 62, and approximately 48 kDa were detected and expressed relative to beta-actin immunoreactivity. The abundance of each GR immunoreactive protein was similar among S-V cell populations (P > 0.50). Dexamethasone exposure decreased the abundance of the approximately 97 and approximately 62 kDa GR immunoreactive bands in S-V cells from the 3 depots (P s.c. > i.m.; P or = 10 microm-diameter) lipid droplets. The percentage of p.r. S-V cells with large lipid droplets increased in response to DEX in a linear manner (P 0.27). Collectively, these data demonstrate differences in adipogenic activity among bovine i.m., s.c., and p.r. S-V cells, but indicate no relationship between adipogenic activity and glucocorticoid receptor abundance or function.
Evolutionary Psychology: Toward a Unifying Theory and a Hybrid Science

▪ Abstract Although evolutionary psychology is typically associated with “selfish gene theory,” numerous other approaches to the study of mind and behavior provide a wealth of concepts for theorizing about psychology, culture, and development. These include general evolutionary approaches and theories focused on sociality, dual inheritance, multilevel selection, and developmental systems. Most evolutionary accounts use the same methods as Darwin—the “fit among facts”—to use natural selection as an explanation for behavior. Scientific standards for constraining and evaluating such accounts, research into the mutual influence of science and society on the understanding of evolution, and computational technologies for modeling species-typical processes are important considerations. Coevolutionary theories and developmental systems theories may eventually give rise to unification in a broad and general sense. Such a unification would be interdisciplinary and problem centered rather than discipline centered.
Preliminary assessement of the atmospheric optical channel at goldstone (CA)

A number of criteria need to be considered for site selection of a deep space optical link receiver station. Some of the factors used to identify suitable locations include whether site conditions are favorable in the atmospheric optical channel, geographical convenience of the location, and (possible) existing facilities (e.g. roads, power, communication networks etc.). Recently, NASA/JPL has been conducting studies to evaluate whether the NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) Goldstone, California site is a viable candidate location for an optical deep space communications downlink station. Some reasons in considering Goldstone are quite evident: 1) the existing facilities would ease the integration of an optical ground station into the DSN; 2) it is conveniently near a NASA center (Jet Propulsion Laboratory or JPL); and 3) it is located in a desert region with possible high Cloud Free Line of Sight (CFLOS) statistics. Evaluating location suitability requires characterization of the atmospheric optical channel of the site, namely atmospheric loss and clear sky turbulence statistics. A suite of sensors has been installed at Goldstone to collect the necessary data to produce these statistics. The instruments include a sun-photometer, seeing monitor, and a dust particle profiler. This work presents initial results based on the data gathered at Goldstone to provide a preliminary assessment of the atmospheric optical channel and its implication on the data throughput for a hypothetical optical deep space mission.
Effects of hormone replacement therapy on the circadian pattern of atherothrombotic risk factors.

Onset of acute atherothrombotic events (acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, ischemic stroke) exhibit a circadian pattern that parallels the diurnal pattern of endogenous fibrinolytic activity. Hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women has been shown to enhance fibrinolytic capacity by lowering plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and tissue plasminogen activator inhibitor (tPA) antigen values. We evaluated the impact of 4 weeks of estrogen alone (Premarin 0.625 mg/day) and 2 weeks of estrogen plus progesterone (Provera 2.5 mg/day) on PAI-1 and tPA in 17 postmenopausal women at multiple time points to assess hormone impact on the diurnal pattern of fibrinolytic potential. At baseline, both PAI-1 and tPA exhibited circadian variability. Estrogen alone selectively lowered 8 A.M. PAI-1 (35.8 +/- 7.1 ng/ml at baseline, 19.8 +/- 3.7 ng/ml on estrogen; p = 0.0002 vs baseline). There was no significant change in the noon or 4 P.M. values, and the diurnal pattern was attenuated. The 8 A.M. PAI-1 remained low at 17.1 +/- 3.6 ng/ml (p = 0.0001 vs baseline) with total loss of the circadian rhythm. Estrogen supplementation reduced tPA antigen at all time points, and the diurnal pattern, although blunted, persisted. Addition of progesterone to estrogen did not reverse effects of the estrogen alone phase of either PAI-1 or tPA values. This hormone-associated reduction of PAI-1 was observed despite increased triglycerides, a known inducer of PAI-1 levels. These observations suggest that hormone replacement therapy may protect postmenopausal women from excess early morning acute ischemic events.
Obtundation and seizure following ondansetron overdose in an infant.

Introduction. Ondansetron, an increasingly prescribed 5-HT3 antagonist used in the management of nausea and vomiting of various etiologies, has a well-established safety profile in therapeutic use. However, little is known about its effects in the setting of an overdose. We describe the first case of severe toxicity in an infant who unintentionally ingested a large quantity of ondansetron. Case report. A 12-month-old infant who ingested seven to eight tablets of his mother's Zofran (ondansetron) ODT 8 mg rapidly developed obtundation and myoclonic movements. While treated by health care providers, he developed seizures, hepatotoxicity, QTc prolongation, and a serotonin syndrome that required endotracheal intubation and intensive care unit management. His clinical status improved over the course of 24 h with supportive care, and he was discharged to home with no sequelae. Discussion. With the increasing popularity of ondansetron among health care providers, particularly for the control of nausea in pregnan...
Influence of product adsorption on the operation of a reverse‐flow reactor

The adsorption on the catalyst surface of the product of an exothermic reaction in a reverse-flow reactor (RFR) may lead to large variations in the temporal effluent product concentration. Using a dilute reactant feed, the adsorbed product effluent concentration is low following each flow reversal, but it eventually exceeds the feed reactant concentration. The product adsorption may decrease the range of operating conditions (parameter values) for which the RFR can attain an ignited state. A cooled RFR may attain, for certain parameter values, complex dynamic states such as quasi-periodic and chaotic states. An increase in the adsorption capacity of the catalyst decreases the range of parameter values for which complex dynamic states exist. The desired period-1 operation of the RFR is more robust in the presence of product adsorption. Product adsorption may lead to surprising dynamic features, such as the coexistence of up to three stable quasi-periodic states for the same operating conditions.
Gene Expression, Molecular Class Changes, and Pathway Analysis after Neoadjuvant Systemic Therapy for Breast Cancer

Purpose: To examine gene expression differences between pre- and post-neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) specimens of breast cancers and identify biologic changers that may lead to new therapeutic insights. Methods: Gene expression data from prechemotherapy fine needle aspiration specimens were compared with resected residual cancers in 21 patients after 4 to 6 months of NST. We removed stroma-associated genes to minimize confounding effects. PAM50 was used to assign molecular class. Paired t test and gene set analysis were used to identify differentially expressed genes and pathways. Results: The ER and HER2 status based on mRNA expression remained stable in all but two cases, and there were no changes in proliferation metrics (Ki67 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression). Molecular class changed in 8 cases (33.3%), usually to normal-like class, which was associated with low residual cancer cell cellularity. The expression of 200 to 600 probe sets changed between baseline and post-NST samples. In basal-like cancers, pathways driven by increased expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, small G proteins, and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and energy metabolism were enriched, whereas immune cell–derived and the sonic hedgehog pathways were depleted in residual cancer. In non–basal-like breast cancers, notch signaling and energy metabolism (e.g., fatty acid synthesis) were enriched and sonic hedgehog signaling and immune-related pathways were depleted in residual cancer. There was no increase in epithelial–mesenchymal transition or cancer stem cell signatures. Conclusions: Our data indicate that energy metabolism related processes are upregulated and immune-related signals are depleted in residual cancers. Targeting these biologic processes may represent promising adjuvant treatment strategies for patients with residual cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 18(4); 1109–19. ©2012 AACR .
Engineering a BCR-ABL–activated caspase for the selective elimination of leukemic cells

Increased understanding of the precise molecular mechanisms involved in cell survival and cell death signaling pathways offers the promise of harnessing these molecules to eliminate cancer cells without damaging normal cells. Tyrosine kinase oncoproteins promote the genesis of leukemias through both increased cell proliferation and inhibition of apoptotic cell death. Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors, such as the BCR-ABL inhibitor imatinib, have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in the clinic, drug-resistant leukemias emerge in some patients because of either the acquisition of point mutations or amplification of the tyrosine kinase, resulting in a poor long-term prognosis. Here, we exploit the molecular mechanisms of caspase activation and tyrosine kinase/adaptor protein signaling to forge a unique approach for selectively killing leukemic cells through the forcible induction of apoptosis. We have engineered caspase variants that can directly be activated in response to BCR-ABL. Because we harness, rather than inhibit, the activity of leukemogenic kinases to kill transformed cells, this approach selectively eliminates leukemic cells regardless of drug-resistant mutations.
Gender and Sentencing: An Analysis of Indicators:

Research examining the role of gender in criminal sentencing has focused on gender bias, in that females are sentenced to lesser punishments than males for the same offense. What many studies have not addressed is the extent to which sentencing guidelines have affected gender bias. In other words, does gender bias exist, even in the presence of sentencing guidelines? This study addresses this question by examining the factors that influence a judge's decision to sentence males and females to particular punishments. In this study, the sample is split among males and females and various legally relevant and irrelevant factors are analyzed to determine which variables are significant indicators of punishment for each sex.Results indicated that judges consider both legally relevant and irrelevant factors when sentencing females, but legally relevant factors only when sentencing males. This suggests that gender bias still exists despite the use of sentencing guidelines.
Nuclear receptor conformation, coregulators, and tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer

The development of tamoxifen resistance and consequent disease progression are common occurrences in breast cancers, often despite the continuing expression of estrogen receptors (ER). Tamoxifen is a mixed antagonist, having both agonist and antagonist properties. We have suggested that the development of tamoxifen resistance is associated with an increase in its agonist-like properties, resulting in loss of antagonist effects or even inappropriate tumor stimulation. Nuclear receptor function is influenced by a family of transcriptional coregulators, that either enhance or suppress transcriptional activity. Using a mixed antagonist-biased two-hybrid screening strategy, we identified two such proteins: the human homolog of the nuclear receptor corepressor, N-CoR, and a novel coactivator, L7/SPA (Switch Protein for Antagonists). In transcriptional studies, N-CoR suppressed the agonist properties of tamoxifen and RU486, and L7/SPA increased agonist effects. We speculated that the relative levels of these coactivators and corepressors may determine the balance of agonist and antagonist properties of mixed antagonists, such as tamoxifen. Using quantitative RT-PCR, we, therefore, measured the levels of transcripts encoding these coregulators, as well as the corepressor SMRT, and the coactivator SRC-1, in a small cohort of tamoxifen-resistant and sensitive breast tumors. The results suggest that tumor sensitivity to mixed antagonists may be governed by a complex set of transcription factors, which we are only now beginning to understand.
The M2 Internal Tide off Oregon: Inferences from Data Assimilation

A linearized baroclinic, spectral-in-time tidal inverse model has been developed for assimilation of surface currents from coast-based high-frequency (HF) radars. Representer functions obtained as a part of the generalized inverse solution show that for superinertial flows information from the surface velocity measurements propagates to depth along wave characteristics, allowing internal tidal flows to be mapped throughout the water column. Application of the inverse model to a 38 km 3 57 km domain off the mid-Oregon coast, where data from two HF radar systems are available, provides a uniquely detailed picture of spatial and temporal variability of the M2 internal tide in a coastal environment. Most baroclinic signal contained in the data comes from outside the computational domain, and so data assimilation (DA) is used to restore baroclinic currents at the open boundary (OB). Experiments with synthetic data demonstrate that the choice of the error covariance for the OB condition affects model performance. A covariance consistent with assumed dynamics is obtained by nesting, using representers computed in a larger domain. Harmonic analysis of currents from HF radars and an acoustic Doppler profiler (ADP) mooring off Oregon for May‐July 1998 reveals substantial intermittence of the internal tide, both in amplitude and phase. Assimilation of the surface current measurements captures the temporal variability and improves the ADP/solution rms difference. Despite significant temporal variability, persistent features are found for the studied period; for instance, the dominant direction of baroclinic wave phase and energy propagation is always from the northwest. At the surface, baroclinic surface tidal currents (deviations from the depth-averaged current) can be 10 cm s21, 2 times as large as the depth-averaged current. Barotropic-to-baroclinic energy conversion is generally weak within the model domain over the shelf but reaches 5 mW m22 at times over the slopes of Stonewall Bank.
The human intra-S checkpoint response to UVC-induced DNA damage

The intra-S checkpoint response to 254 nm light (UVC)-induced DNA damage appears to have dual functions to slow the rate of DNA synthesis and stabilize replication forks that become stalled at sites of UVC-induced photoproducts in DNA. These functions should provide more time for repair of damaged DNA before its replication and thereby reduce the frequencies of mutations and chromosomal aberrations in surviving cells. This review tries to summarize the history of discovery of the checkpoint, the current state of understanding of the biological features of intra-S checkpoint signaling and its mechanisms of action with a focus primarily on intra-S checkpoint responses in human cells. The differences in the intra-S checkpoint responses to UVC and ionizing radiation-induced DNA damage are emphasized. Evidence that [6-4]pyrimidine-pyrimidone photoproducts in DNA trigger the response is discussed and the relationships between cellular responses to UVC and the molecular dose of UVC-induced DNA damage are briefly summarized. The role of the intra-S checkpoint response in protecting against solar radiation carcinogenesis remains to be determined.
The 2π + 2π cycloaddition of an allyl cation to (1Z,3E)-cycloalkadienes. Evidence for a stepwise process in the lonic Diels-Alder reaction.

Abstract Treatment of (1 Z ,3 E )-cycloalkadienes with 2-vinyl-1,3-dioxolane under acidic conditions produced 1:1 cycloadducts in which an intermediate allyl cation added to the dienes to give trans-fused cyclobutanes as the major products.
Music as an auxiliary analgesic during first trimester surgical abortion: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Music has served as an auxiliary analgesic in perioperative settings. This study evaluates the impact of intraoperative music added to routine pain control measures during first trimester surgical abortion. Study Design We analyzed data from 101 women randomized to undergo abortion with routine pain control measures only (ibuprofen and paracervical block) or with the addition of intraoperative music via headphones. The primary outcome was the change in preoperative and postoperative pain scores on a 100-mm visual analog scale. Secondary outcomes included change in anxiety and vital signs, and satisfaction. Results Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. The magnitude of increase in pain scores was greater in the intervention than in the control group (+51.0 mm versus +39.3 mm, p=.045). Overall pain control was rated as good or very good by 70% of the intervention and 75% of the control group (p=.65). Conclusions Intraoperative music added to routine pain control measures increases pain reported during abortion.
Dermatitis artefacta induced in a patient by one of her multiple personalities

A young woman suffered for 5 weeks with an inexplicable, severe dermatitis limited to her left arm. During hospitalization it was found that she had multiple personalities, one of whom had been applying the leaves of the poison ivy plant each night to her left arm, using 'his' gloved right hand. The factitial nature of the dermatitis was further documented by the fact that when the 'responsible personality' was cut off from supplies of poison ivy in the hospital, 'he' produced factitious haematomas by trauma to her left hand. Although this appears to be the first report of dermatitis artefacta associated with the multiple personality disorder, it is suggested that psychiatric study of other dermatitis artefacta patients might reveal the presence of unsuspected occult multiple personalities, responsible for skin lesions that patients cannot explain.
Body temperature rhythm of the tree shrew, Tupaia belangeri.

The circadian rhythm of body temperature of the tree shrew Tupaia belangeri was studied by telemetry. The amplitude of the daily (or circadian) variation was found to be much larger than that of most endotherms (amplitude ∼ 5°C) and the bimodal shape of the rhythm differed from the cosine waveform that characterizes the temperature rhythms of most other species. In free-running conditions, as well as in the entrained state, the temperature rhythm remained synchronized to the rhythm of locomotor activity. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Camera And Projector Motion For Range Mapping

One method for measuring the shape of a three-dimensional (3-D) object is to project light rays onto its surface, image the resulting scene with a camera, and triangulate the illuminated object points. The locations of the projected rays, and their correspondences with the camera image of their incidences with the object surface, must be known for the triangulation procedure. This paper describes how the pattern illumination technique can be refined for range mapping without the usual correspondence information, and in fact without knowledge of the projected ray locations themselves. This is done by displacing the camera and/or projector between image captures.
Raindrop Size Distribution Retrieval From Dual-Frequency and Dual-Polarization Radar

Differential reflectivity from dual-polarization radars at frequencies such as S- and C-bands has been used to estimate the median drop diameter. Similarly, the dual-frequency ratio (DFR) can also be used to estimate median drop diameter. This paper presents an algorithm for estimating the raindrop size distribution parameters of median drop diameter (D0) and equivalent intercept parameter (Nw) using a dual-polarization dual-frequency ground radar operating at Ku- and Ka-bands. The retrieval philosophy is based on combining attributes of the DFR, historically used in spaceborne radar systems and dual-polarization approaches used in ground radar algorithms. The estimator of D0 as well as Nw (in the logarithmic scale) are evaluated using simulated radar observations in the presence of different error sources. It is shown that normalized bias and standard error for two estimators are both within ±2% and 16% when system noise is added. The situation when Ka-band observations are extinct during heavy precipitation is also considered.
Lossless compression with security constraints

Secure distributed data compression in the presence of an eavesdropper is explored. Two correlated sources that need to be reliably transmitted to a legitimate receiver are available at separate encoders. Noise-free, limited rate links from the encoders to the legitimate receiver, one of which can also be perfectly observed by the eavesdropper, are considered. The eavesdropper also has its own correlated observation. Inner and outer bounds on the achievable compression-equivocation rate region are given. Several different scenarios involving the side information at the transmitters as well as multiple receivers/eavesdroppers are also considered.
Improving reliability of energy-efficient storage system

With the rapid growth of the production and storage of large scale data sets it is important to investigate methods to drive the cost of storage systems down. Many energy conservation techniques have been proposed to achieve high energy efficiency in disk systems. Unfortunately, growing evidence shows that energy-saving schemes in disk drives usually have negative impacts on storage systems. Existing reliability models are inadequate to estimate reliability of parallel disk systems equipped with energy conservation techniques. To solve this problem, we firstly propose a mathematical model - called MINT - to evaluate the reliability of a parallel disk system where energy-saving mechanisms are implemented. In this dissertation, MINT is focused on modeling the reliability impacts of two well-known energy-saving techniques - the Popular Disk Concentration technique (PDC) and the Massive Array of Idle Disks (MAID). Different from MAID and PDC which store a complete file on the same disk, the Redundancy Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) stripes file into several parts and stores them on different disks to ensure higher parallelism, hence higher I/O performance. However, RAID faces more challenges on energy efficiency and reliability issues. In order to evaluate the reliability of power-aware RAID, we then develop a Weibull-based model–MREED. In this dissertation, we use MREED to model the reliability impacts of a famous energy efficiency storage mechanism– the Power-Aware RAID (PARAID). Thirdly, we focus on validation of two models–MINT and MREED. It is challenging to validate the accuracy of reliability models, since we are unable to watch certain energy-efficiency systems for a couple of decades due to its time consuming and experimental costs. We introduce validated storage system simulator–DiskSim–to determine if our model and DiskSim agree with one another. In our validation process, we compare a file access trace in a real-world file system. Last part of this dissertation focuses on improvement of energy-efficient parallel storage systems. We propose a strategy–Disk Swapping–to improve disk reliability by alternating disks storing data that is frequently accessed with disks holding less accessed data. In this part, we focus on studying reliability improvement of PDC and MAID. At last, we further improve disk reliability by introducing multiple disk swapping strategy.
Opportunities and Challenges of Social Work Trainees of Nepal

Education is a process of bringing forth the potentials within a learner, a process of discovering the powers within and to utilize them for a greater cause. An effective educational program is thus not in the banking system of information overload. It is the development of a combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes as the theoretical framework of this study points towards in the introductory chapter. Social work education, as internationally practiced, does have these three components. The present study has highlighted the opportunities and challenges for social work trainees of Nepal from the perspective of development of knowledge, skill and attitude. The study has unfolded the need for revising the syllabus, giving more emphasis on skill development of social work trainees as well as the need to explore more areas of fieldwork interventions than voluntary organizations. Creative and participatory teaching methodologies are required to bring forth the innate potentials of the learners. Social action and community organization which are the major secondary methods of social work should be practiced during field work. The educational institutions, NGOs and field and faculty supervisors should motivate social work trainees to practice these methods. There is an urgent need of formation of national association of social work in Nepal which can become a platform to work towards enhancement of credibility of social work profession. Social work institutions should organize regular orientation programs for social work learners, periodic faculty development programs, agency meets, conferences and seminars, in order to upgrade the quality of learners as well as institutions. Social Work, with its focus on enhancing the total well being of individuals, groups and communities, is a noble profession that can contribute towards the inclusive and sustainable development of nations at the local level, which in turn can promote a just and sustainable international community. Governments and international agencies must recognise and include social work professionals in every sphere of developmental administration and human resource management and support the endeavours of voluntary organisations as well as educational institutions in moulding committed and competent change agents.
Two potential host plants and notes on the habitat of the Haitian tailed blue, Pseudochrysops bornoi (Comstock and Huntington 1943) (Lycaenidae, Lepidoptera) in Guánica, Puerto Rico, USA

Abstract. The natural history of Pseudochrysops bornoi, native to Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico and Cuba, is poorly known. Based on observations of a population of P. b. escobioi made in March 2006 and March 2007 near Guanica, Puerto Rico, we describe likely host plants, flight behavior, mating flight and oviposition. On multiple occasions P. b. escobioi laid eggs in the developing inflorescences of acacia (Acacia farnesiana) and cinazo Pithecellobium circinale.
Surveillance and analysis of hand-foot-mouth disease in Yangzhou city in 2011

Objective:To study the epidemiological characteristic and the genotype of enterovirus of hand-foot-mouth disease(HFMD) in Yangzhou,and provide scientific evidence for controlling and preventing measures.Methods: The reported cases of hand-foot-mouth disease in Yangzhou in 2011 and the laboratory diagnosis of some patients were analyzed by descriptive epidemiological method.Results: In Yangzhou in 2011,a total of 7098 cases of local HFMD,including 4 cases of serious conditions and 1 death,were reported,the incidence of hand,foot and mouth disease was 159.16/100 000.Yizheng city had the highest incidence rate(3.02‰).Among 7098 cases,41.63% occurred from May to July,and 36.05% occurred from October to December;the age of one month to 6 years old accounted for 96.62%;the scattered inhabiting children was 53.71% and the children in kindergarten was 43.51%.Among the 414 patients,the positive rates of EV,EV71 and CoxA16 were 67.63%,28.02% and 25.12% respectively.Conclusion: The occurrence of HFMD in Yangzhou in 2011 featured high incidence rate without distinct epidemiological characteristics change.
An energy-efficient compressive sensing framework incorporating online dictionary learning for long-term wireless health monitoring

Wireless body area network (WBAN) is emerging in the mobile healthcare area to replace the traditional wire-connected monitoring devices. As wireless data transmission dominates power cost of sensor nodes, it is beneficial to reduce the data size without much information loss. Compressive sensing (CS) is a perfect candidate to achieve this goal compared to existing compression techniques. In this paper, we proposed a general framework that utilize CS and online dictionary learning (ODL) together. The learned dictionary carries individual characteristics of the original signal, under which the signal has an even sparser representation compared to pre-determined dictionaries. As a consequence, the compression ratio is effectively improved by 2–4× comparing to prior works. Besides, the proposed framework offloads pre-processing from sensor nodes to the server node prior to dictionary learning, providing further reduction in hardware costs. As it is data driven, the proposed framework has the potential to be used with a wide range of physiological signals.
Factors Affecting Quality of Life at Different Intervals After Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer: Unique Influence of Treatment Decision Making Satisfaction, Personality and Sexual Functioning

Purpose: Using patient reported outcomes measures we identified the most informative set of factors associated with quality of life in a large sample of men treated for localized prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: We examined relationships with quality of life using FACIT (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy). We also hypothesized variables in a sample of men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer who represented different time points since treatment, including less than 12 months in 70, 1 to 3 years in 344, greater than 3 to 5 years in 291 and greater than 5 years in 97. Correlative measures included subscales of MAX-PC (Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer), short forms of PROMIS® and SOMS (Surgical Outcomes Measurement System), TDM-SATS (Treatment Decision-Making Satisfaction Scale) and subscales of the BFI (Big Five Inventory) of personality.Results: Quality of life was significantly associated with hypothesized variables across different time cohorts. In regression models sev...
Molecular Level Understanding of the Factors Affecting the Stability of Dimethoxy Benzene Catholyte Candidates from First-Principles Investigations

First-principles simulations are performed to gain molecular level insights into the factors affecting the stability of seven 1,4-dimethoxybenzene (DMB) derivatives. These molecules are potential catholyte candidates for nonaqueous redox flow battery systems. Computations are performed to predict oxidation potentials in various dielectric mediums, intrinsic-reorganization energies, and structural changes of these representative catholyte molecules during the redox process. In order to understand the stability of the DMB-based radical cations, the thermodynamic feasibility of the following reactions is computed using density functional theory: (a) deprotonation, (b) dimerization, (c) hydrolysis, and (d) demethylation. The computations indicate that radical cations of the 2,3-dimethyl and 2,5-dimethyl derivatives are the most stable among the DMB derivatives considered in this study. In the presence of solvents with high-proton solvating ability (water, DMSO, acetonitrile), degradation of cation radical occ...
A Planning Tool for Incorporating Backward Design, Active Learning, and Authentic Assessment in the College Classroom

ABSTRACTBackward course design is a compelling strategy for achieving results-based, student-centered learning. The backward course-design approach is first to identify student-learning outcomes, then the means of assessing the outcomes, and lastly the classroom activities that would support the learning outcomes. With demonstrated success at improving teaching and learning at K–12 levels, this design approach is receiving increasing attention at the college level. Yet college faculty, who receive comparatively little instruction in course design, may find it challenging to enact the principles of backward course design into day-to-day lecture planning. To help address this challenge, we developed a backward design-inspired lesson planner to assist in restructuring college course periods for more active, learner-centered activities that align with course goals. We describe the planner and its application to a non-majors college biology class, and we share student and instructor perceptions of classroom st...
The four P’s of purpose among College Bound students: People, propensity, passion, prosocial benefits

AbstractCollege preparation programs, such as College Bound, aim to increase low-income students’ preparation for achieving future goals. Yet, little research has examined the nature of these students’ future goals and purposes from their own perspectives. In this study, in-depth interviews with 10 adolescents (six males and four females) participating in College Bound were analyzed using a qualitative approach informed by grounded theory. Four interrelated themes related to the development of youth purpose emerged: (a) people; (b) propensity; (c) passion; and (d) prosocial benefits. These themes were further categorized across two major dimensions: influences (i.e. capability and motivation) and sources of such influences (i.e. intrinsic and extrinsic). Moreover, ways in which students’ unique social contexts contributed to their experiences of purpose are discussed. Findings inform an understanding of the development of purpose in underrepresented youth, as well as provide insights for programs designed...
Assessing the Impact of Globalization on Education and Educational Policy Reform

‘Assessing the Impact of Globalization on Education’ offers a synthesis of themes related to globalization, policy borrowing, and educational reform. Portnoi emphasizes alternatives to globalization (from above), and highlights local adaptions and globalization from below. She stresses the importance of understanding globalization and its related developments in any consideration of educational reform in today’s globalized world.
Exploring memory hierarchy and network topology for runtime AMR data sharing across scientific applications

Runtime data sharing across applications is of great importance for avoiding high I/O overhead for scientific data analytics. Sharing data on a staging space running on a set of dedicated compute nodes is faster than writing data to a slow disk-based parallel file system (PFS) and then reading it back for post-processing. Originally, the staging space has been purely based on main memory (DRAM), and thus was several orders of magnitude faster than the PFS approach. However, storing all the data produced by large-scale simulations on DRAM is impractical. Moving data from memory to SSD-based burst buffers is a potential approach to address this issue. However, SSDs are about one order of magnitude slower than DRAM. To optimize data access performance over the staging space, methods such as prefetching data from SSDs according to detected spatial access patterns and distributing data across the network topology have been explored. Although these methods work well for uniform mesh data, which they were designed for, they are not well suited for adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) data. Two mąjor issues must be addressed before constructing such a memory hierarchy and topology-aware runtime AMR data sharing framework: (1) spatial access pattern detection and prefetching for AMR data; (2) AMR data distribution across the network topology at runtime. We propose a framework that addresses these challenges and demonstrate its effectiveness with extensive experiments on AMR data. Our results show the framework's spatial access pattern detection and prefetching methods demonstrate about 26% performance improvement for client analytical processes. Moreover, the framework's topology-aware data placement can improve overall data access performance by up to 18%.
Cellular Iron Status Is Associated with Better Survival and Increased Chemotherapy Sensitivity in AML

Iron is mainly used in oxygen transfer reactions including reactions necessary for cellular proliferation. Since iron is essential for cellular processes, but excess iron is toxic, complex pathways have evolved to maintain iron homeostasis in various subcellular compartments. Genomic studies by others of samples in a breast cancer tissue bank have indicated that mRNA expression of iron regulatory genes predicting low iron cellular import and high iron cellular export are associated with a good prognosis, indicating that lower bioavailable cellular iron is associated with slower tumor growth rate and better patient survival. Our genomic analysis of 168 de novo AML samples reported in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) study however showed an opposite result to the breast cancer studies: 1) High iron uptake indicated by high transferrin receptor mRNA and low HFE mRNA, 2) Increased intracellular "labile" iron (bioavailable iron) indicated by low ferritin heavy chain to light chain ratio and 3) Less iron efflux indicated by low ferroportin; were all associated with significantly increased survival (p in vivo with a single recommended IV iron dose commonly used for iron deficiency) significantly increased the growth inhibitory effect of Idarubicin (IDA) or Cytarabine (Ara-C). Growth inhibition by Ara-C or IDR was significantly increased with added iron in single experiments and was consistent; for example three consecutive experiments on separate days using MOLM-13 treated with Ara-C (1uM) or IDR (30 nM), added Fe showed significantly increased inhibition of proliferation at 24h (paired t p Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Book review: Prolog: The Standard Reference Manual By E Deransart, A. Ed-Dbali, and L. Cervoni (Springer-Verlag, 1996)

The ISO Prolog standard took 10 ars to produce. For a language II that, on its face, is both simple and logical this seems like a long time to spend on standardization. While this book is in no sense a history of the standardization of Prolog, it does provide some insight into why the process took so long. Anyone who has tried to learn Prolog knows that to use the language effectively one must have a sound understanding of the computational model. (Of course, this is true of any programming language, but for Protog it seems to be especially so.) The standards group was to find plenty of room for dispute over the computational model. A major service that this book performs is to provide a clear description of the Prolog inference engine.
Spin polynomial similarity transformation for repulsive Hamiltonians: interpolating between coupled cluster and spin-projected unrestricted Hartree–Fock

Our overarching goal is to be able to describe both weak and strong correlation with a single, computationally affordable method without sacrificing important qualities of the wavefunction, e.g. symmetries of the Hamiltonian. We know that coupled cluster theory with low-order excitations is excellent at describing weakly-correlated systems near equilibrium, but breaks down as systems become more strongly correlated. Projected Hartree-Fock on the other hand is inherently capable of describing multireference character, but misses weak correlation. We are thus exploring how best to combine coupled cluster and projected Hartree-Fock in our search for a computationally feasible method that is applicable across a wide range of correlation strengths. In this manuscript, we adapt our earlier work on the pairing Hamiltonian to repulsive Hamiltonians, resulting in the spin polynomial similarity transformation (SpinPoST) interpolation. SpinPoST parameterizes the wavefunction in order to interpolate between the coupled cluster and spin-projected unrestricted Hartree-Fock ansatze self consistently, and is a spin-symmetry adapted model which involves only single and double excitations. We employ a unique approach of optimizing the wavefunction by minimizing the effect of connected quadruple excitations, resulting in a method which is spin-symmetry adapted and is comparable energetically to coupled cluster with singles and doubles for weak correlation and spin-projected Hartree-Fock for strong correlation.
Biomarker-related risk for myocardial infarction and serious infections in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a population-based study

Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity and associated systemic inflammation has been associated with serious infection (SIEs), myocardial infarction (MI) and coronary heart disease (CHD) events based on a few registry studies or clinical trials. There are few data from large-scale population-based studies given feasibility challenges in conducting such investigations. Methods Multibiomarker disease activity (MBDA) test scores (n=77 641) were linked to Medicare for US patients with RA. Outcomes of interest were hospitalised pneumonia/sepsis (SIE), MI and a composite CHD outcome. The MBDA score ranges from 1 to 100 and was analysed as time-varying. Cox proportional hazards models evaluated the association between MBDA score and SIEs, MI and CHD events, controlling for potential confounders. A sensitivity analysis excluded C reactive protein (CRP) from the MBDA score. Results There were 17 433 and 16 796 patients eligible for the SIE and MI/CHD analyses, respectively. Mean (SD) age was 69 (11) years, 79% were women, 81% were white and 38% were disabled. Over 16 424 person-years of follow-up, there were 452 SIE events, 132 MIs and 181 CHD events. Higher MBDA scores were associated with SIEs (HR=1.32, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.41 per 10 unit MBDA score change). For MI/CHD events, a threshold effect was present; higher disease activity by MBDA score was associated with increased MI (HR=1.52, 95% CI 0.92 to 2.49) and CHD rates (HR=1.54, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.34, comparing scores ≥30 vs Conclusion Higher MBDA scores were associated with hospitalised infection, MI and CHD events in a large, predominantly older, US RA population.
The perplexing pregnancy disorder preeclampsia: what next?

Preeclampsia occurs in 3–5% of pregnancies and is a leading cause of deaths of mothers and their infants worldwide. It was initially described over 100 yr ago as a pregnancy abnormality defined by ...
Longitudinal study of changes in FDDNP-PET and neuropsychological scores

1266 Objectives To predict changes in neuropsychological test scores from longitudinal distribution volume ratio (DVR) images of FDDNP-PET data. Methods 14 subjects (6 Control, 8 MCI) underwent a dynamic FDDNP scan for up to 125 minutes. T1-weighted MPRage MRIs were performed for each subject. FDDNP scans were repeated for all subjects two years later. At both visits, subjects were given a battery of neuropsychological exams. These tests included MMSE, Boston Naming, WAIS-III Block Design, and WAIS-III Digit Symbol tests. Logan analysis was performed to create DVR images for all subjects for both FDDNP scans. Subject MRIs were normalized to a common space through of structural warping. This normalization was applied to rigidly aligned DVR images to bring them into the common space. VOIs drawn in the common space were used to extract average DVR values from 9 cortical regions in the normalized PET images. Multiple linear regression was used to model changes in psychological test scores as a function of changes in regional DVR values. An exhaustive search of models using three or fewer predictor regions was performed to find the best models. Results Block Design scores best correlated with data from frontal lobe, lower temporal, and posterior cingulate regions (r2=.87, p Conclusions Changes in regional FDDNP-DVR data can be used to predict changes in specific mental tasks associated with the corresponding regions. Research Support NIH grant P01-AG025483
Review of Güneş Murat Tezcür, Muslim Reformers in Iran and Turkey: The Paradox of Moderation

As the Arab revolts continue to unfold in the Middle East, an increasing debate over the emerging Islamic political actors takes place: are they post-Islamist activists as some scholars lately point out (see, for example, Asef Bayat’s works: 2007, Making Islam Democratic: Social Movements and the Post-Islamist Turn, Stanford University Press, and, 2010, Life as Politics: How Ordinary People Change the Middle East, Stanford University Press) or typical political Islamists who have alliances with various segments of their societies? The case of the Muslim Brotherhood after the Egyptian unrest has put these questions straight. Is it a new era of post-Islamist turn in the Middle East? Or, is it a typical revolutionary episode in which moderates overthrow the government in the first place, and later, radicals take over– a trend noted for the Russian revolution to the Iranian revolution? At the center of these debates, we often see two non-Arab countries, i.e. Iran and Turkey, which are generally depicted in a mutually exclusive duality in the Western media: can the Muslim Brotherhood internalize liberal democratic values as the Muslim reformers in Turkey did or will it be the engine of new Islamic Republic? In this sense, Tezcur’s scholarly analysis is a very timely contribution that provides a critical outlook in the wake of the speculative media comments on the emerging Islamic actors. Tezcur’s book draws our attention to a quite interesting fact: the most prominent post-Islamist movements in the Middle East have emerged in two dissimilar contexts, i.e. Iran and Turkey. Analyzing the Reform Front (RF) in Iran and the Justice and Development Party (JDP) in Turkey, the author offers the first systematic and only comparative analysis of Muslim reformers in these greatly different Cont Islam (2013) 7:237–239 DOI 10.1007/s11562-011-0161-z
Mangrove species zonation: why?

Mangroves are a taxonomically-diverse group of woody spermatophytes which possess a common ability to survive and perpetuate themselves along sheltered tropical coastlines in saline environments under tidal influence. A halophytic existence is made possible through a wide range of morphological, anatomical and physiological adaptations which has elicited much scientific interest (Walsh, 1974; Chapman, 1976). Although mangroves share a common ability to exist as halophytes in a common environment, they frequently appear in rather predictable mono-specific zones parallel to shorelines, tidal channels, and the banks of rivers and streams influenced by the sea. Thus, mangrove species zonation has been a dominant theme in a voluminous literature on mangroves which exceeds 7,000 titles (B. Rollet, pers. comm.1).