cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
William Osler and the “fixed period” of creativity:

In 1905, William Osler was the pre-eminent physician in American medical circles but was unknown to the general public. The latter suddenly learned of him through damning newspaper accounts of his address announcing his retirement from the Johns Hopkins Medical School. In it Osler mentioned two "fixed ideas" he held-(1) that most major advances in civilization have been made by men under age 40 (the "fixed period") and (2) that those over 60 should retire because they create little of significance and sometimes stifled the initiatives of younger colleagues. He highlighted the second idea with a Victorian novel describing a mythical society which chloroformed men at age 60. He never imagined that this literary allusion would be taken as a serious solution for his second idea. However, countless newspaper articles ridiculed the first and condemned him for the second. Scurrilous press attacks on him continued for several months and resurfaced occasionally thereafter. The extent of the public approbation can also be found in poems and stories linking him with euthanasia. Also discussed here are the sources of Osler's equanimity in the face of such public derision and the inner drives which accounted for over 1300 publications by him-nearly half of which were composed after age 40.
AlN on SOI pMUTs for wireless communication

To prevent unauthorized access to ICs, encryption can be enabled via extremely small and practically invisible microscale chips that are embedded inside the packaging of ICs. The authors lately demonstrated an acoustic power link based on AlN HBAR-like structures operating at 500 MHz [1]. Enormous acoustic losses introduced by air at such large frequencies necessitate tight coupling between the transducers and the package. To accommodate for small air gaps in the link, a more versatile route is proposed here based on MHz-range ultrasonic transducers.
Light-Driven Water Splitting Mediated by Photogenerated Bromine.

Light-driven water splitting was achieved using a dye-sensitized mesoporous oxide film and the oxidation of bromide (Br- ) to bromine (Br2 ) or tribromide (Br3- ). The chemical oxidant (Br2 or Br3- ) is formed during illumination at the photoanode and used as a sacrificial oxidant to drive a water oxidation catalyst (WOC), here demonstrated using [Ru(bda)(pic)2 ], (1; pic=picoline, bda=2,2'-bipyridine-6,6'-dicarboxylate). The photochemical oxidation of bromide produces a chemical oxidant with a potential of 1.09 V vs. NHE for the Br2 /Br- couple or 1.05 V vs. NHE for the Br3- /Br- couple, which is sufficient to drive water oxidation at 1 (RuV/IV ≈1.0 V vs. NHE at pH 5.6). At pH 5.6, using a 0.2 m acetate buffer containing 40 mm LiBr and the [Ru(4,4'-PO3 H2 -bpy)(bpy)2 ]2+ (RuP2+ , bpy=2,2'-bipyridine) chromophore dye on a SnO2 /TiO2 core-shell electrode resulted in a photocurrent density of around 1.2 mA cm-2 under approximately 1 Sun illumination and a Faradaic efficiency upon addition of 1 of 77 % for oxygen evolution.
General Conditions for Solving Optimization Problems: Karush-Kuhn-Tucker Conditions

There is a formal set of mathematical conditions that describe the minima of constrained or unconstrained optimization problems. Called the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions, they can sometimes be used to solve directly for minimum points in design space. This chapter shows a series of examples on how the KKT conditions can be used to find the minima of unconstrained and constrained optimization problems.
Budgeting and determining a dues structure for a pharmacy student organization.

Proper fiscal management is a cornerstone of the success of a student organization and helps to ensure a means to fulfill the organization’s goals. This is especially true for pharmacy and other healthcare-oriented organizations wishing to provide outreach and screening events. These often high-
Frame Switching and the Flag: The Effects of Patriotic Images in the Mass Media After the Election of Barack Obama

Patriotic images such as the American flag have had a prominent place in news coverage in the United States particularly since the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Previous research suggests that patriotic images do not affect how viewers perceive journalistic norms (Barnett and Roselle, 2008). However, our research conducted in 2007 suggested that subgroups within the population respond differently to these patriotic images; liberals and Democrats exposed to patriotic images, for example, were less likely to fear future terrorist attacks than conservatives and Republicans who also saw these same images. One plausible explanation is related to frame switching – or the activation of particular frames associated with symbolic icons. Because the flag had come to be associated with the Bush Administration’s War on Terror, perhaps Democrats and Liberals who viewed news stories with the US flag were primed to be less fearful. This logic suggests that this finding would no longer hold after the election of Barack Obama. The current research analyzes the use of patriotic images (the American flag) in summer 2009. The study uses an experimental model to test again whether or not patriotic images in news stories affect the degree to which they consider the news objective, fair, and balanced. Results are consistent with our 2008 findings. In addition, the frame switching explanation is partially supported as now Conservatives who see the patriotic version of news stories are more inclusive or egalitarian in some limited areas. This study serves as a probe for a future large-n study.
Time-Independent Perturbation Theory

Time-independent perturbation theory is an approximation scheme that applies in the following context: we know the solution to the eigenvalue problem of the Hamiltonian H0, and we want the solution to H = H0 +H1 where H1 is small compared to H0 in a sense to be made precise shortly. For instance, H0 can be the Coulomb Hamiltonian for an electron bound to a proton, and H1 the addition due to an external electric field that is weak compared to the proton's field at the (average) location of the electron. One refers to H0 as the unperturbed Hamiltonian and H1 as the perturbing Hamiltonian or perturbation.
Role of Androgens and Extracellular Matrix in the Growth and Differentiation of Benign and Malignant Prostate Epithelial Cells

Normal tissues maintain a balance between growth and differentiation. During normal adult life, the prostatic epithelium undergoes little net growth but synthesizes and secretes proteins such as prostate specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) which are markers of differentiated function in the prostate. In prostatic neoplasia, regulation of prostate epithelial cell growth is diminished resulting in abnormal proliferation of the prostatic epithelium. the intra- and extracellular factors involved in promoting prostate epithelial growth and differentiation are poorly understood. Studies were undertaken in our laboratory to develop an in vitro system to selectively promote prostate epithelial cell growth or differentiation. Cultivation of freshly isolated epithelial cells from benign prostate on mesenchymal extracellular matrix (ECM) resulted in the formation of acinarlike structures as opposed to the characteristic monolayers observed on plastic. Differentiated morphology was further demonstrated by electron microscopic analysis showing the presence of apical microvilli, numerous secretory vesicles and hemidesmosome-like structures in epithelial cells cultured on ECM. Cultivation of epithelial cells on plastic resulted in a 10 fold increase in cell growth compared to cells grown on ECM. However, a four-fold increase in PSA and PAP secretions were noted following cultivation of epithelial cells on ECM compared to plastic in the presence of 10-nM dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and 1 mg/ml of prostate stromal cell conditioned medium (SCM). Similarly, cultivation of the prostate cancer celliine LNCAP on prostate stromal ECM resulted in promotion of differentiated function as indicated by acinar-like morphology, reduced growth and enhanced PSA/PAP secretion. Addition of DHT and SCM further promoted the ability of ECM to enhance differentiated properties in LNCAP. On plastic, addition of DHT stimulated an 8-fold increase in LNCAP growth compared to cells grown on ECM but had little impact on PSA/PAP secretion. These data show that: 1) cultivation of benign or malignant prostate epithelial cells on plastic will promote cell growth but not PSA/ PAP secretion; 2) prostate epithelial cells grown on ECM exhibit differentiated function as indicated by acinar-like morphology, reduced growth and increased PSA/PAP secretion and 3) addition of androgens and prostate stromal secretory products will greatly enhance PSA and PAP secretion by prostate epithelial cells on ECM.
Mammals, Biodiversity of

Ranging in size from a shrew to the blue whale, mammals are found in the air, on and under the ground, and in the oceans, rivers, and lakes of the world. A total of 151 families are divided into 1226 genera and represent 5416 species. The mammalian middle ear is a key diagnostic character and has evolved from three small bones found in the jaw of primitive vertebrates. Mammals regulate their internal temperature (endothermy). Diagnostic features include: sweat glands, hair, a complex lung structure, and mammary glands: the production of milk to feed and nurture young is a shared feature of all mammals.
Pulmonary Vein Thrombosis Associated with Metastatic Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma: A Case Report and Review

Pulmonary vein thrombosis (PVT) mainly occurs following lung transplantation but cases associated with thoracic malignancy have also been described. We describe here the first case of PVT in an asymptomatic patient with metastatic follicular thyroid carcinoma.
Leisure at Work and Employee Flourishing

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of Duerden, Courtright, and Widmer’s leisure at work (LAW) model and explore the relationship between LAW and employee flourishing (i.e., resil...
Mesh-based and polycapillary optics-based x-ray phase imaging

The contrast in conventional x-ray imaging is generated by differential attenuation of x rays, which is generally very small in soft tissue. Phase imaging has been shown to improve contrast and signal to noise ratio (SNR) by factors of 100 or more. However, acquiring phase images typically requires a highly spatially coherent source (e.g. a 50 μm or smaller microfocus source or a synchrotron facility), or multiple images acquired with precisely aligned gratings. Here we demonstrate two phase imaging techniques compatible with clinical sources: polycapillary focusing optics to enhance source coherence and mesh-based structured illumination.
PPT-GPU: Scalable GPU Performance Modeling

Performance modeling is a challenging problem due to the complexities of hardware architectures. In this paper, we present PPT-GPU, a scalable and accurate simulation framework that enables GPU code developers and architects to predict the performance of applications in a fast, and accurate manner on different GPU architectures. PPT-GPU is part of the open source project, Performance Prediction Toolkit (PPT) developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. We extend the old GPU model in PPT that predict the runtimes of computational physics codes to offer better prediction accuracy, for which, we add models for different memory hierarchies found in GPUs and latencies for different instructions. To further show the utility of PPT-GPU, we compare our model against real GPU device(s) and the widely used cycle-accurate simulator, GPGPU-Sim using different workloads from RODINIA and Parboil benchmarks. The results indicate that the predicted performance of PPT-GPU is within a 10 percent error compared to the real device(s). In addition, PPT-GPU is highly scalable, where it is up to 450x faster than GPGPU-Sim with more accurate results.
Thermochemical kinetics of nitrogen compounds. V. The unimolecular thermal decomposition of diallylamine in the gas phase

The kinetics of the thermal decomposition of diallylamine to propylene and prop-2-enaldimine have been studied in the gas phase in presence of an excess of methylamine over the temperature range of 532.7 to 615.6°K, using a static reaction system. Methylamine reacted with the unstable primary product prop-2-enaldimine, forming the thermally stable N-methyl prop-2-enaldimine. First-order rate constants, based on the internal standard technique, fit the Arrhenius relationship log k(s−1) = (11.04 ± 0.13) − (37.11 ± 0.33 kcal/mole)/2.303 RT. They were independent on the initial total pressure (46–340 torr), the initial pressure of diallylamine (9.2–65 torr), or methylamine as well as the conversion attained. Despite an apparent surface sensitivity, the reaction is essentially homogeneous in nature as demonstrated by experiments carried out in a packed reaction vessel. The observed activation parameters for the title reaction together with those observed earlier for triallylamine and allylcyclohexylamine are consistent with the proposed concerted reaction mechanism involving a cyclic 6-center transition state. The observed substituent effects suggest a nonsynchronous mode of bond breaking and bond formation.
Bulk Assembly of Multicomponent Zero-Dimensional Metal Halides with Dual Emission

Bulk assemblies of zero-dimensional (0D) metal halides with exceptional structural versatility have enabled the development of a number of highly efficient emitters with tunable photophysical prope...
Variability and uncertainty in forest biomass estimates from the tree to landscape scale: the role of allometric equations

Biomass maps are valuable tools for estimating forest carbon and forest planning. Individual-tree biomass estimates made using allometric equations are the foundation for these maps, yet the potentially-high uncertainty and bias associated with individual-tree estimates is commonly ignored in biomass map error. We developed allometric equations for lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), ponderosa pine (P. ponderosa), and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) in northern Colorado. Plot-level biomass estimates were combined with Landsat imagery and geomorphometric and climate layers to map aboveground tree biomass. We compared biomass estimates for individual trees, plots, and at the landscape-scale using our locally-developed allometric equations, nationwide equations applied across the U.S., and the Forest Inventory and Analysis Component Ratio Method (FIA-CRM). Total biomass map uncertainty was calculated by propagating errors from allometric equations and remote sensing model predictions. Two evaluation methods for the allometric equations were compared in the error propagation—errors calculated from the equation fit (equation-derived) and errors from an independent dataset of destructively-sampled trees (n = 285). Tree-scale error and bias of allometric equations varied dramatically between species, but local equations were generally most accurate. Depending on allometric equation and evaluation method, allometric uncertainty contributed 30–75% of total uncertainty, while remote sensing model prediction uncertainty contributed 25–70%. When using equation-derived allometric error, local equations had the lowest total uncertainty (root mean square error percent of the mean [% RMSE] = 50%). This is likely due to low-sample size (10–20 trees sampled per species) allometric equations and evaluation not representing true variability in tree growth forms. When independently evaluated, allometric uncertainty outsized remote sensing model prediction uncertainty. Biomass across the 1.56 million ha study area and uncertainties were similar for local (2.1 billion Mg; % RMSE = 97%) and nationwide (2.2 billion Mg; % RMSE = 94%) equations, while FIA-CRM estimates were lower and more uncertain (1.5 billion Mg; % RMSE = 165%). Allometric equations should be selected carefully since they drive substantial differences in bias and uncertainty. Biomass quantification efforts should consider contributions of allometric uncertainty to total uncertainty, at a minimum, and independently evaluate allometric equations when suitable data are available.
New Therapies for Hypophosphatemia-Related to FGF23 Excess

FGF23 is a hormone produced by osteocytes in response to an elevation in the concentration of extracellular phosphate. Excess production of FGF23 by bone cells, or rarely by tumors, is the hormonal basis for several musculoskeletal syndromes characterized by hypophosphatemia due to renal phosphate wasting. FGF23-dependent chronic hypophosphatemia causes rickets and osteomalacia, as well as other skeletal complications. Genetic disorders of FGF23-mediated hypophosphatemia include X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH), autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets (ADHR), autosomal recessive hypophosphatemic rickets (ARHR), fibrous dysplasia of bone, McCune-Albright syndrome, and epidermal nevus syndrome (ENS), also known as cutaneous skeletal hypophosphatemia syndrome (CSHS). The principle acquired form of FGF23-mediated hypophosphatemia is tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO). This review summarizes current knowledge about the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of the most common FGF23-mediated conditions, with a focus on new treatment modalities. For many decades, calcitriol and phosphate supplements were the mainstay of therapy. Recently, burosumab, a monoclonal blocking antibody to FGF23, has been approved for treatment of XLH in children and adults, and an active comparator trial in children has shown good efficacy and safety for this drug. The remainder of FGF23-mediated hypophosphatemic disorders continue to be treated with phosphate and calcitriol, although ongoing trials with burosumab for treatment of tumor-induced osteomalacia show early promise. Burosumab may be an effective treatment for the remainder of FGF23-mediated disorders, but clinical trials to support that possibility are at present not available.
Abstract PR01: A cancer cell program promotes T-cell exclusion and resistance to checkpoint blockade

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) produce durable responses in some melanoma patients, but many patients derive no clinical benefit, and the molecular underpinnings of such resistance remain elusive. Here, we leveraged single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) from 33 melanoma tumors and computational analyses to interrogate malignant cell states that promote immune evasion. We identified a resistance program expressed by malignant cells that is associated with T-cell exclusion and immune evasion. The program is expressed prior to immunotherapy, characterizes cold niches in situ, and predicts clinical responses to anti-PD-1 therapy in an independent cohort of 112 melanoma patients. CDK4/6-inhibition represses this program in individual malignant cells, induces senescence, and reduces melanoma tumor outgrowth in mouse models in vivo when given in combination with immunotherapy. Our study provides a high-resolution landscape of ICI resistant cell states, identifies clinically predictive signatures, and suggests new therapeutic strategies to overcome immunotherapy resistance. This study will be published on Nov. 1st in Cell (Jerby-Arnon et al., Cell 2018). This abstract is also being presented as Poster A25. Citation Format: Parin Shah, Michael Cuoco, Mei-Ju Su, Johannes Melms, Rachel Leeson, Abhay Kanodia, Shaolin Mei, Jia-Ren Lin, Shu Wang, Bokang Rabasha, David Liu, Alex K. Shalek, Itay Tirosh, Peter K. Sorger, Kai Wucherpfennig, Eliezer M. Van Allen, Dirk Schadendorf, Bruce E. Johnson, Asaf Rotem, Orit Rozenblatt-Rosen, Levi A. Garraway, Charles H. Yoon, Benjamin Izar, Aviv Regev, Livnat Jerby-Arnon. A cancer cell program promotes T-cell exclusion and resistance to checkpoint blockade [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Melanoma: From Biology to Target; 2019 Jan 15-18; Houston, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(19 Suppl):Abstract nr PR01.
Dihexyl-Substituted Poly(3,4-Propylenedioxythiophene) as a Dual Ionic and Electronic Conductive Cathode Binder for Lithium-Ion Batteries

The polymer binders used in most lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) serve only a structural role, but there are exciting opportunities to increase performance by using polymers with combined electronic and ionic conductivity. To this end, here we examine dihexyl-substituted poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) (PProDOT-Hx₂) as an electrochemically stable π-conjugated polymer that becomes electrically conductive (up to 0.1 S cm⁻¹) upon electrochemical doping in the potential range of 3.2 to 4.5 V (vs Li/Li⁺). Because this family of polymers is easy to functionalize, can be effectively fabricated into electrodes, and shows mixed electronic and ionic conductivity, PProDOT-Hx₂ shows promise for replacing the insulating polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) commonly used in commercial LIBs. A combined experimental and theoretical study is presented here to establish the fundamental mixed ionic and electronic conductivity of PProDOT-Hx₂. Electrochemical kinetics and electron spin resonance are first used to verify that the polymer can be readily electrochemically doped and is chemically stable in a potential range of interest for most cathode materials. A novel impedance method is then used to directly follow the evolution of both the electronic and ionic conductivity as a function of potential. Both values increase with electrochemical doping and stay high across the potential range of interest. A combination of optical ellipsometry and grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering is used to characterize both solvent swelling and structural changes that occur during electrochemical doping. These experimental results are used to calibrate molecular dynamics simulations, which show improved ionic conductivity upon solvent swelling. Simulations further attribute the improved ionic conductivity of PProDOT-Hx₂ to its open morphology and the increased solvation is possible because of the oxygen-containing propylenedioxythiophene backbone. Finally, the performance of PProDOT-Hx₂ as a conductive binder for the well-known cathode LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.15)Al_(0.05)O₂ relative to PVDF is presented. PProDOT-Hx₂-based cells display a fivefold increase in capacity at high rates of discharge compared to PVDF-based electrodes at high rates and also show improved long-term cycling stability. The increased rate capability and cycling stability demonstrate the benefits of using binders such as PProDOT-Hx₂, which show good electronic and ionic conductivity, combined with electrochemical stability over the potential range for standard cathode operation.
Broadband wireless radio frequency power telemetry using a metamaterial resonator embedded with non-foster impedance circuitry

Wireless powering of implantable biomedical devices and smart radio frequency identification (RFID) tags with very low profile antennas is desired. We propose a low profile electrically small antenna for near-field wireless power telemetry employing a metamaterial Split Ring Resonator (SRR) antenna. SRRs can be designed for operation over wide frequencies from RF to visible. However, they are inherently narrowband making them sensitive to component mismatch with respect to external transmit antenna. Here, we propose an embedding of a non-foster impedance circuitry into the metamaterial SRR structure that imparts conjugate negative complex impedance to this resonator antenna thereby increasing the effective bandwidth and thus overcoming the fundamental limit for efficient signal coupling. We demonstrate the concept through extensive numerical simulations and a prototype system at the board level using discrete off-the-shelf components and printed circuit SRR antenna at 500 MHz. We show that the power trans...
Online Learning for Unknown Partially Observable MDPs.

Solving Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) is hard. Learning optimal controllers for POMDPs when the model is unknown is harder. Online learning of optimal controllers for unknown POMDPs, which requires efficient learning using regret-minimizing algorithms that effectively tradeoff exploration and exploitation, is even harder, and no solution exists currently. In this paper, we consider infinite-horizon average-cost POMDPs with unknown transition model, though a known observation model. We propose a natural posterior sampling-based reinforcement learning algorithm (PSRL-POMDP) and show that it achieves a regret bound of $O(\log T)$, where $T$ is the time horizon, when the parameter set is finite. In the general case (continuous parameter set), we show that the algorithm achieves $O (T^{2/3})$ regret under two technical assumptions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first online RL algorithm for POMDPs and has sub-linear regret.
A Novel Variable Reluctance Resolver With Simplified Winding Arrangement and Adaptive PI Controller

Conventional Variable Reluctance (VR) resolvers require a complicated winding arrangement, and extra circuit component to demodulate high frequency induced voltage. This paper presents an innovative design solution to reduce the structural complexity of the resolver and improve the functionality of the controller unit. The proposed design simplifies the winding arrangement and eliminates the necessity of the demodulation signal processing circuit. In addition, the conventional PI controller is being replaced by the adaptive PI controller to automatically adjust the controller setting for different operational speeds. The performance of the proposed design is compared against the conventional VR resolver via Finite Element.
Differential regulation of mouse hippocampal gene expression sex differences by chromosomal content and gonadal sex

Sex differences in the brain as they relate to health and disease are often overlooked in experimental models. Many neurological disorders, like Alzheimers disease (AD), multiple sclerosis (MS), and autism, differ in prevalence between males and females. Sex differences originate either from differential gene expression on sex chromosomes or from hormonal differences, either directly or indirectly. To disentangle the relative contributions of genetic sex (XX v. XY) and gonadal sex (ovaries v. testes) to the regulation of hippocampal sex effects, we use the "sex-reversal" Four Core Genotype (FCG) mouse model which uncouples sex chromosome complement from gonadal sex. Transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses of hippocampal RNA and DNA from [~]12 month old FCG mice, reveals differential regulatory effects of sex chromosome content and gonadal sex on X- versus autosome-encoded gene expression and DNA modification patterns. Gene expression and DNA methylation patterns on the X chromosome were driven primarily by sex chromosome content, not gonadal sex. The majority of DNA methylation changes involved hypermethylation in the XX genotypes (as compared to XY) in the CpG context, with the largest differences in CpG islands, promoters, and CTCF binding sites. Autosomal gene expression and DNA modifications demonstrated regulation by sex chromosome complement and gonadal sex. These data demonstrate the importance of sex chromosomes themselves, independent of hormonal status, in regulating hippocampal sex effects. Future studies will need to further interrogate specific CNS cell types, identify the mechanisms by which sex chromosome regulate autosomes, and differentiate organizational from activational hormonal effects.
Currency News and International Bond Markets

We use a sample of 27 countries and 63 currency news announcements in an event study framework to examine the impact of currency news on international government bond markets. Our findings reveal a significant spillover of currency news into bond markets. Specifically, the evidence shows significant negative abnormal bond returns, whether measured in dollar terms or local currency terms, implying that currency news plays a role in changing the performance of international government bond markets. We also show that abnormal bond returns remain significantly negative even after controlling for macroeconomic variables. Our results are robust to using alternative risk model specifications, country-level data, and corporate bond data. Our evidence of the significant impact of currency news on bond markets provides essential insights to professional traders, policymakers, and academic researchers.
BMI metrics and their association with adiposity, cardiometabolic risk factors, and biomarkers in children and adolescents.

Background There are limited data comparing the relative associations of various BMI metrics with adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors in youth. Objective Examine correlations of 7 different BMI metrics with adiposity, cardiometabolic risk factors, and biomarkers (i.e. blood pressure, waist circumference, cholesterol, leptin, insulin, high molecular weight adiponectin, high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hsCRP)). Methods This was a cross-sectional analysis of youth in all BMI categories. BMI metrics: BMI z-score (BMIz), extended BMIz (ext.BMIz), BMI percentile (BMIp), percent of the BMI 95th percentile (%BMIp95), percent of the BMI median (%BMIp50), triponderal mass index (TMI), and BMI (BMI). Correlations between these BMI metrics and adiposity, visceral adiposity, cardiometabolic risk factors and biomarkers were summarized using Pearson's correlations. Results Data from 371 children and adolescents ages 8-21 years old were included in our analysis: 52% were female; 20.2% with Class I obesity, 20.5% with Class II, and 14.3% with Class III obesity. BMIp consistently demonstrated lower correlations with adiposity, risk factors, and biomarkers (r = 0.190-0.768) than other BMI metrics. The %BMIp95 and %BMIp50 were marginally more strongly correlated with measures of adiposity as compared to other BMI metrics. The ext.BMIz did not meaningfully outperform BMIz. Conclusion Out of all the BMI metrics evaluated, %BMIp95 and %BMIp50 were the most strongly correlated with measures of adiposity. %BMIp95 has the benefit of being used currently to define obesity and severe obesity in both clinical and research settings. BMIp consistently had the lowest correlations. Future research should evaluate the longitudinal stability of various BMI metrics and their relative associations with medium to long-term changes in adiposity and cardiometabolic outcomes in the context of intervention trials.
Varieties of Despair

In January 1759, Samuel Johnson, London wit and son of Michael Johnson former bookseller and stationer in Lichfield, learned that his mother was suffering probably her final illness. He wrote frequent, compassionate notes to his mother in Lichfield but was unable to come down to see her before her death toward the end of the month.
Basic DEA Models

All business operations/processes involve transformation — adding values and changes to materials and turning them into goods and services that customers want. The transformation involves the use of inputs made up of labor, materials, energy, machines, and other resources, and the generation of outputs of finished products, services, customer satisfaction, and other outcomes. Consider hospital operations, for example. The inputs include doctors, nurses, medical supplies, equipment, laboratories, beds and others, and outputs include number of patients treated, number of interns and residents trained, and others. Managers are often interested in evaluating how efficiently various processes operate with respect to multiple inputs and outputs. For example, in a buyer-seller supply chain, the buyer may be interested in comparing the performance of several sellers with respect to response time, costs, flexibility, customer service, quality, and customization. Eliminating or improving inefficient operations decreases the cost of inputs and increases productivity. Performance evaluation and benchmarking help business operations/processes to become more productive.
The potential effects of legal and unauthorized international migration on the census and other data sources in the United States: Methodological and policy issues in 2010 and beyond

This article considers the accurate measurement of international migration to and from the United States, both legal and unauthorized, and how these measurement characteristics might affect the accuracy and utility of the 2010 census and other data sources. It provides a brief overview of the recent magnitude and impacts of US immigration. It delineates the role of immigration in determining an accurate census and discusses specific parameters that must be accurately measured in order to adequately assess immigration, both legal and unauthorized. It makes specific recommendations for addressing the effects of such factors. Migration is widely recognized as the most difficult demographic component to measure in determining demographic change in the United States [39,40]. This is, in part, a result of the fact that the United States does not have a registration system for internal migration (as exists in some countries) and because of the magnitude and characteristics of international migration in the United States [57]. Although both internal and international migration are difficult to measure, international migration provides especially difficult challenges because the system for the collection of data on immigration is not adequate for demographic purposes and because an important form of immigration, unauthorized immigration, has become increasingly contentious, resulting in multiple interpretations of available data and considerable levels of misleading and erroneous information. Addressing such challenges is of increasing importance because of the historically high levels of immigration in the United States, including large numbers of unauthorized immigrants, and because the measurement of immigration has been a major source of error in estimates of recent populations. Thus, the Census Bureau underestimated the US population in 2000 by almost 7 million [44], in large part, because of its inability to measure the effects of unauthorized immigration. The focus in this article is on how the accurate measurement of international migration (including both that to and from [emigration from] the United States and legal and unauthorized) may affect the accuracy and utility of the 2010 Census and other data sources and on what steps might be taken to minimize such effects. The article begins with a brief overview of the recent magnitude and impacts of legal and unauthorized immigration in the United States and of literature on specific
A Dataflow Architecture for AI

This paper describes a dataflow architecture for artificial intelligence applications in particular parallel logic programming. This machine has a decentralized approach for parallel processing. Dynamic creation of dataflow nodes not only provides higher performance but also reduces bookkeeping overhead.
STAPHYLOPENICILLINASE--ITS ROLE IN PENICILLIN RESISTANCE. II. AN ALTERNATE METHOD OF PENICILLIN RESISTANCE IN VIVO BY STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS.

Summary Studies reported here indicate that there is an alternate mechanism of resistance to penicillin by Staphylococcus aureus in vivo. The failure of an ether-acetone treated sediment of S. aureus (Giorgio) which contained a biologically active penicillinase to convert a penicillin susceptible infection into the pattern of a penicillin resistant one, and the ineffectiveness of antipenicillinase serum to convert a penicillin resistant infection into a penicillin susceptible one, suggest that another factor plays an important role in penicillin resistance in vivo. An interesting development in this study has been the discovery that the sediment active in penicillinase when administered to infected mice greatly increased the microbial population in the tissues and was associated with a higher and more rapid mortality rate.
PointWorks: abstraction and rendering of sparsely scanned outdoor environments

This paper describes a system, dubbed PointWorks, for rendering three-dimensionally digitized outdoor environments in non-photorealistic rendering styles. The challenge in rendering scanned outdoor environments is accommodating their inaccuracy, incompleteness, and large size to deliver a smooth animation without suggesting the underlying data deficiency. The key method discussed in this paper is employing artistic drawing techniques to illustrate features of varying importance and accuracy. We employ a point-based representation of the scanned environment and operate directly on point-based models for abstraction and rendering. We develop a framework for producing mainly two artistic styles: painterly and profile lines. Strategies have also been employed to leverage modern graphics hardware for achieving interactive rendering of large scenes.
Visions and Re-visions: Life and the Accident of Birth

Much has happened in the years since I wrote much of the previous Chapters, especially in the world of health care, medicine in particular but even more in medical and bio-medical research. The latter, indeed, is substantially responsible for many of the significant changes in clinical practice, diagnosis and prognosis in recent times. On reflection, it remains somewhat unclear to me that these changes, such as they may be, will also alter the moral themes and basic approach of the preceding Chapters. But since so much has in fact happened, it seemed to me only appropriate to include the following reflections on what had come to be known early in the past two decades as the ‘new genetics’ (Zaner RM, Visions and re-visions: life and the accident of birth. In: Baillie HW, Casey TK (eds) Is human nature obsolete? Genetics, bioengineering, and the future of the human condition. MIT Press, Boston, pp 177–207, 2004).
Detection of Polymorphic DNA and Taxonomic Relationships Among 10 Wild Perennial Soybean Species Using Specific and Arbitrary Nucleotide Primers

Polymorphic DNA in complex genomes of agronomic crops can be detected using specific nucleotide and arbitrary primers and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Nineteen accessions representing 10 species of the wild perennial soybean were evaluated using 4 sets of specific primers and 3 sets of random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPD) primers. The potential of the RAPD assays was further increased by combining two primers in a single PCR. The fragments generated by the two assays discriminated 10 wild species by banding profiles. The size of the amplified DNA fragments ranged from 100 to 2100 base pairs. The resolved PCR products yielded highly characteristic and homogeneous DNA fingerprints. The fingerprints were useful not only for investigating genetic variability but also for further characterizing the wild soybean species by detecting inter- and intra-specific polymorphisms, constructing dendrograms defining the phylogenetic relationships among these species, and identifying molecular markers for the construction of genetic linkage maps. Furthermore, unique markers distinguishing particular species were also identified. Thus, it is expected that PCR will have great relevance for taxonomic studies.
Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects of the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin gallate in human corneal epithelial cells

Purpose To determine the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenol component of green tea, in human corneal epithelial cells (HCEpiC).
Formation of Lactyl-Coenzyme A and Pyruvyl-Coenzyme A from Lactic Acid by Escherichia coli

Megraw, Robert E. (Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pa.), Henry C. Reeves, and Samuel J. Ajl. Formation of lactyl-coenzyme A and pyruvyl-coenzyme A from lactic acid by Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 90:984-988. 1965.-Cell extracts of propionate-adapted Escherichia coli were found to contain a lactyl-coenzyme A (CoA) synthetase which catalyzes the formation of the CoA thiolester from lactate, CoA, and cofactors. The extracts also catalyzed the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent oxidation of lactyl-CoA. The product of this oxidation was identified chromatographically as pyruvyl-CoA.
Duplicate News Story Detection Revisited

In this paper, we investigate near-duplicate detection, particularly looking at the detection of evolving news stories. These stories often consist primarily of syndicated information, with local replacement of headlines, captions, and the addition of locally-relevant content. By detecting near-duplicates, we can offer users only those stories with content materially different from previously-viewed versions of the story. We expand on previous work and improve the performance of near-duplicate document detection by weighting the phrases in a sliding window based on the term frequency within the document of terms in that window and inverse document frequency of those phrases. We experiment on a subset of a publicly available web collection that is comprised solely of documents from news web sites. News articles are particularly challenging due to the prevalence of syndicated articles, where very similar articles are run with different headlines and surrounded by different HTML markup and site templates. We evaluate these algorithmic weightings using human judgments to determine similarity. We find that our techniques outperform the state of the art with statistical significance and are more discriminating when faced with a diverse collection of documents.
Subduction products according to experimental prediction

Knowledge of the thermal structure and processes in subduction zones is so uncertain that our more extensive knowledge of source materials and phase relationships remains insufficient for prediction of magmatic products. The phase relationships do provide important constraints for testing geophysical and petrogenetic models, especially when considered along with geochemical constraints. Physical questions, such as the behavior of partially molten rocks, are intimately related to the compositions of magmas from source to eruption site. Tentative predictions and conclusions include: (1) Andesite is not a primary magma from oceanic crust. (2) It is unlikely that liquids from subducted oceanic crust yield andesites by fractionation, except by melting of amphibolite in an especially warm subducted crust. (3) It is more likely that hydrous siliceous magmas from the crust leak into the overlying mantle. (4) Andesite magmas can be generated in peridotite only under exceptional circumstances. (5) H2O-undersaturated basic magmas from peridotite modified by aqueous fluids or hydrous magma may yield andesite by fractionation. (6) Phlogopite peridotite could escape melting and yield alkalic magmas at deeper levels. (7) Andesite magmas could be produced in continental crust only by extreme heating through underplating of basalts or by mixing of basalt and rhyolite (derived from crust). Most of these conclusions need revision if convection in the asthenosphere wedge raises the temperature of the subducted slab to 1250°C at 100 km as proposed by Marsh (1979a); this demonstrates the dependence of experimental predictions on geophysical models.
Regulation of low density lipoprotein receptor gene expression in cultured human granulosa cells: roles of human chorionic gonadotropin, 8-bromo-3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate, and protein synthesis.

Treatment of human granulosa cells with human CG (hCG) or an analog of its second messenger, cAMP, promotes a rapid increase in low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor mRNAcontent. After 1 h of treatment with 8-bromo-cAMP, an appreciable increase in hybridizable LDL receptor mRNA was found which increased to apparently maximal levels within 4–6h. Treatment of the granulosa cells with 25-hydroxycholesterol, in the presence of aminoglutethimide, resulted in a reduction in LDL receptor mRNA content within 6 h of treatment. However, hCG or 8-bromo-cAMP were able to stimulate an increase in LDL receptor mRNA contentin the presence of this inhibitory signal. We further investigated the mechanism by which tropic agents increased mRNA content. While inhibition of RNA synthesis with actinomycin D blocked the hCG or cAMP-induced rise in LDL receptor mRNA content, inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide augmented basal or hCG- or cAMP-stimulated LDL receptor mRNA levels. We conclude that human steroidogeni...
Validation of fascod3 and modtran3: comparison of model calculations with ground-based and airborne interferometer observations under clear-sky conditions

The validation of fascod3 and modtran3 against ground-based and airborne high-resolution Michelson interferometer measurements under clear-sky conditions is presented. Important considerations including water vapor continuum, frequency-dependent sea surface emissivity in the IR window region, and spectral resolution of modtran3 in the comparison of model calculations with high-resolution interferometer measurements are discussed. Our results indicate that it is not adequate to assume sea surface emissivity of 1.0 [ɛ(ν) = 1.0] or a constant in the simulation of upwelling radiance observed by the airborne Michelson interferometer. The use of spectral emissivity (frequency-dependent emissivity) leads to much better agreement between model calculations and interferometer measurements in the IR window region from 750.0 to 1050.0 cm−1. This could have important implications for the retrieval of sea surface temperature, thin cirrus properties, and aerosol parameters because of the sea surface emissivity of 1.0 assumption commonly used by many researchers. Comparisons of modtran3 calculations with interferometer measurements show that the agreement might not be adequate at the nominal resolution of 2.0 cm−1, and further spectral degradation might be necessary to improve the agreement between measurements and modtran3 calculations. modtran should be used with caution for relatively high spectral resolution remote-sensing applications.
TU-EE-A1-05: The Use of Directional Interstitial Sources to Reduce Skin Dose in Breast Brachytherapy

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of reducing the skindose with temporary LDR multicatheter breast implants with the use of directional 125I interstitial sources in comparison to conventional HDR interstitial breast brachytherapy.Method and Materials: The treatment plan for a patient treated with HDR interstitial brachytherapy with 192Ir was compared to a directional 125I treatment plan in the same dataset. Directional sources contain an internal radiation shield that greatly reduces the intensity of radiation in the shielded direction. They have a similar dose distribution to non‐directional sources on the unshielded side. Several dosimetric parameters are compared including target volume coverage, dose homogeneity index, and the skin surface areas receiving 30%, 50% and 80% of the prescription dose (S30, S50 and S80, respectively). The HDR prescription dose was 34 Gy in 10 fractions. Results: Similar excellent target coverage was achieved by both directional LDR and HDR (99.2% and 97.5%, respectively). Moreover, for a 170‐cc target volume, the dose homogeneity index was 0.82 for both LDR and HDR (V100 was 211.4 cc or 225.7 cc, and V150 was 39.1 cc or 40.4 cc, respectively). However, with directional LDR, the following reductions in skindose may be achieved: S30 is reduced from 100.6 cm2 to 62.6 cm2, S50 from 50.6 cm2 to 16.1 cm2, and S80 at 2 cm2 to null. The reduction in V50 for the whole breast is more than 100 cm3 (386.1 cc vs. 489.2 cc). Conclusion: As compared to HDR, directional interstitial 125I sources allow similar dose coverage to the subcutaneous target, while significantly lowering the skindose due to a quicker fall‐off beyond the target. Directional LDR sources can produce a similar dose homogeneity index, but the biological characteristics are more tolerable to the patient and can potentially reduce the risk of late skin and subcutaneous toxicity.