cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vascular Proliferation in Tumours and its Influence on Cancer Therapy

The focus of most cancer research today relates to the alterations resulting from the malignant transformation of individual cells, and the key to new developments seems to lie in the subcellular technologies of molecular biology and gene expression. The rationale for the design of anti-cancer therapies therefore usually relates to perceived differences between normal and transformed cells. These differences may involve altered rates (e.g. of proliferation), or they may relate to expression of surface markers that are generally absent in adult normal tissues (e.g. growth factors and their receptors or surface antigens). Apparently in contrast, the concept of targeting the stromal support of the tumour requires an understanding of systems; of the morphology of vascular networks, the factors that control vascular tone, permeability, cardiac output, tissue distribution, blood viscosity, coagulation, tissue specific inflammation and cytokine mediated immunity. To obtain the complete picture of such a “system” we will need studies of the whole animal, as well as those at the macroscopic tissue, microscopic, cellular and molecular level. The main difference in philosophy with this approach is that we need to study the system as a whole and not focus on features of the individual transformed malignant cells (Denekamp 1982). Indeed it is the “activated” normal (vascular) cells that will be the target of this approach and the fact that activation has resulted from a stimulus provided by malignant cells may be of secondary importance. Some (though not necessarily all) features of vessels in tumours may be shared with the new vessels induced in other normal or non malignant pathophysiologies, e.g. in placenta, wound healing, arthritic or diabetic angiopathies. However, the tendency towards an increased coagulative status of the tumour-bearing host may be a specific effect of the type of tumour growing in that host (Clauss et al. 1990).
Role of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Hepatic Injury

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a major organelle in liver cells responsible for protein synthesis and secretion, cellular calcium homeostasis, lipid and steroid hormone metabolism, and drug detoxification. Correct folding of nascent proteins is critical for their functional maturation and secretion, and disruptions of the process will cause accumulation of misfolded/unfolded proteins, which stresses the ER and triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR). Under ER stress, the UPR can drive the liver cells into adaptive or proapoptotic responses, which has been established to be a major mechanism contributing to a spectrum of liver disorders including alcohol-induced liver disease (ALD), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), drug-induced liver injury, hepatitis virus infections, and liver cancer. In this chapter, distinct causes for the hepatic ER stress as well as molecular mechanisms and recent developments of the UPR in the pathogenesis of the liver disorders are highlighted.
Relationship between smell identification testing and the neuropsychological assessment of dementia in community-dwelling adults

The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) with neuropsychological tests and identify the utility of the UPSIT in detecting cognitive impairment. This research was an archival study of neuropsychological test results obtained from 70 clients (30 male/40 female) of a community-based memory clinic. The sample had an average age of 69.7 (SD = 9.7) and education of 14.6 (SD = 2.8) years. Hypotheses were tested using correlations, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and logistic regression. The UPSIT showed significant, weak to moderate correlations with neuropsychological tests. The UPSIT raw score correlated significantly with all but one cognitive ability domain. The UPSIT T-score was significantly correlated with all cognitive domains. Obtained areas under the ROC curve (AUC) for the UPSIT ranged from .60 to .87. The AUCs of the UPSIT did not differ significantly from verbal semantic fluency tests, but the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status Total Scale and Delayed Memory index tended to produce larger AUCs than the UPSIT. Results from step-wise logistic regressions suggest that the UPSIT raw score provides unique information beyond its relationship to age. Olfaction relates broadly to cognitive ability and may be sensitive to early symptoms of cognitive decline. Further research is needed to explore the relationships between smell identification tests and neuropsychological assessment.
SURGE: Social Unrest Reconnaissance GazEteer

Social Unrest Reconnaissance Gazetteer (or SURGE) is a Web-based application that provides an open system to visualize and integrate spatio-temporal data about social unrest events with related data layers in South Asia to facilitate data-driven as well as model-based investigations and analyses. Currently, the system displays eight categories of unrest, based primarily on the Global Database of Events, Language and Tone (GDELT) and the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). Users have the ability to select a single day or a range of dates along with the category of unrest they are interested to investigate. The users also have the option to normalize the raw event counts by population density. Additionally, the users can view infrastructure layers that facilitate or hinder the diffusion of unrest events (e.g., collated from an open GIS data-source: OpenStreetMap (www.openstreetmap.org)) and choropleth layers to display various socio-economic indicators (e.g., derived from global surveys and government census data such as the 2011 India census data (cenusindia.gov.in) and IPUMS Terra (data.terrapop.org)). Currently, SURGE displays unrest events for India, Pakistan and Bangladesh as heat map layers in multiple spatial resolutions. Challenges have involved geo-synchronization, data conversions, and displaying multiple layers of dense geospatial datasets. Future capabilities include automatic ingestion of raw data and standardizing levels of unrest using significant predictors.
Paternal Exposure to Known Mutagens and Health of the Offspring: Ionizing Radiation and Tobacco Smoke

The potential influence of paternal exposures on the health of pregnancy and the offspring has been of interest to toxicologists and epidemiologists for some time. There are several lines of justification for pursuing the possibility that paternal exposures could affect development during pregnancy and beyond. First, the causes of the vast majority of common reproductive problems, including pregnancy loss, congenital defects, pretcrm birth, and fetal growth retardation have yet to be identified. In the face of limited success in studies that have focused primarily on fetal exposures through the pregnant woman, a broader conceptualization of potential causes is worthy of exploration. Second, there is extensivs laboratory research which demonstrates that isolated exposures to the male before conception can result in a broad spectrum of adverse reproductive health outcomes, including pregnancy loss, congenital anomalies, and growth retardation (Olshan & Faustman, 1993). These studies do not prove that such phenomena occur in humans, but firmly demonstrate that they could. Finally, there is a social and political context for this avenue of investigation involving gender discrimination and equity. The idea that the male partner, not the woman alone, has some accountability for the success of the reproductive process has obvious implications for regulation of workplace exposures (i.e., the notion that developmental concerns extend beyond pregnant women), as well as part of the broader societal theme of increased male responsibility and accountability in parenting. The political context does not make it more or less likely that the father has influence beyond conception, but it does increase enthusiasm for research to address the possibility.
Vascular cytoprotection, autoimmune disease, and premature atherosclerosis

A healthy vascular endothelium is critical to health, and interference with endothelial homeostasis disrupts hemostasis, regulation of vascular tone and blood pressure, leukocyte trafficking, angiogenesis and tissue repair. Endothelial injury and apoptosis leads to endothelial dysfunction, which is closely associated with increased generation of reactive oxygen species, reduced endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase, increased consumption, and impaired synthesis of NO. Systemic inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus are associated with endothelial dysfunction, increased aortic stiffness, and accelerated atherogenesis. Premature cardiovascular disease is well-recognized feature of many rheumatic diseases. The cell and molecular mechanisms related to this remain poorly understood. Specific diseases display individual and common attributes that likely influence cardiovascular risk. A key challenge is the development of the means by which those at highest risk can be identified. Likewise, the ability of current therapies to mitigate risk and the identification of novel vasculoprotective therapies represent important areas of research focus. Similarly, close liaison between rheumatologists and cardiologists is essential to minimize the cardiovascular impact on patients and to ensure that patients with rheumatic disease and coexistent coronary heart disease receive appropriate therapy. Identification of safe therapeutic approaches that combine the targeted immunosuppression required, along with comprehensive vascular protection to control the primary disease and prevent secondary complications over the longer term, remains the ultimate challenge.
Optimally Leveraging Density and Locality for Exploratory Browsing and Sampling

Exploratory data analysis often involves repeatedly browsing a small sample of records that satisfy certain predicates. We propose a fast query evaluation engine, called NeedleTail, aimed at letting analysts browse a subset of the query result on large datasets as quickly as possible, independent of the overall size of the result. NeedleTail introduces DensityMaps, a lightweight in-memory indexing structure, and a set of efficient and theoretically sound algorithms to quickly locate promising blocks, trading off locality and density. In settings where the samples are used to compute aggregates, we extend techniques from survey sampling to mitigate the bias in our samples. Our experimental results demonstrate that NeedleTail returns results 7× faster on average on HDDs while occupying up to 23× less memory than existing techniques.
The Plight of Canon Law in the Early Dutch Republic

This article argues that the Roman Catholic canon law remained a vital part of Dutch legal life in the decades following the Protestant Reformation. Part I analyzes the relationship of canon law and civil law, and of church courts and civil courts, on the eve of the Dutch Reformation. It shows that canon law dominated the Netherlands, both through the vast spiritual and temporal jurisdiction exercised by the church courts and through the extensive penetration of canon law into the writings of the civil jurists and the statutes of the civil authorities. Part II describes the constitutional and theoretical changes in church-state relations born of the Dutch Reformation of c. 1566-1581. Part III shows that, despite the polemics of the early reformers, the canon law remained an integral part of the law of both the reformed church and the reformed state. The reformed church law, though much narrower in scope, emulated basic canon law forms. The reformed state law, though filled with bold revisions, readily incorporated canon law provisions.
Scalable Wi-Fi Client Self-Positioning Using Cooperative FTM-Sensors

This paper presents a protocol that enables an unlimited number of Wi-Fi users to position themselves within a meter-level accuracy and navigate indoors using time-delay-based Wi-Fi measurements. The proposed protocol, called collaborative time of arrival, is broadcast-based and relies on cooperation between the network sensors that support IEEE 802.11 fine-timing measurements (FTMs) capabilities, which are enabled in state-of-the-art Wi-Fi chipsets. The clients can estimate and track their position by passively listening to timing measurements that are exchanged between the FTM-sensors. The passive nature of the clients’ operation enables them to maintain their privacy by not exposing their presence to the network. This paper outlines the principles of the protocol and the mathematical background of the position estimation algorithms. Both theoretical analysis of the expected positioning accuracy, as well as real-life system performance examples, are provided. The protocol’s performance analysis is based on a publicly available database of real network measurements.
Microsurgical reconstruction of complex maxillofacial gunshot wounds: Outcomes analysis and algorithm.

Background Satisfaction with appearance, functional outcomes (speech, swallowing), work status after microsurgical reconstruction for maxillofacial gunshot wounds (GSW) remain largely unknown. The purpose of this study is to report these parameters. By investigating these outcomes, we also aimed to provide microsurgical algorithms for complex maxillofacial GSW. Methods Forty-two consecutive maxillofacial GSW patients between 2006 and 2014 were analyzed for outcomes. Mean age was 41.3 years ranging 14 to 77 years. There were 33 males and 9 females. Results Twenty-four patients received 36 free flaps for early reconstruction in 1 to 2 weeks, two patients in a delayed manner. Fifteen fibula flaps for mandible reconstruction, five fibula, there radial forearm (RF), and two scapular osteocutaneous (OC) flaps for maxilla reconstruction, two RF flaps for palate reconstruction, one RF for cheek reconstruction were used. Four patients underwent innervated gracilis flap for total lower lip and one for cheek reconstruction. Rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap was used for mid-face defects in two patients. One anterolateral thigh flap was used for lower lip/chin reconstruction. Nine free flaps were performed to treat a complication and/or to improve function. All flaps survived except for three partial skin paddle loss to fibula flaps. Mean follow-up was 17.2 months. Return to work/school was 70%. Surveys noted 58% "satisfied". All patients but two achieved perceptible speech, the majority had no difficulty with swallowing, all patients had oral competence. Conclusions Favorable outcomes were obtained in most maxillofacial GSW. After investigating these outcomes, microsurgical algorithms were developed for clinical practice for reconstruction of composite mandible and total-lower lip defects, and maxilla/mid-face defects.
Band gap of InAs 1-x Sb x with native lattice constant

The band gap energy of the alloy InAsSb has been studied as a function of composition with special emphasis on minimization of strain-induced artifacts. The films were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaSb substrates with compositionally graded buffer layers that were designed to produce strain-free films. The compositions were precisely determined by high-resolution x-ray diffraction. Evidence for weak, long-range, group-V ordering was detected in materials exhibiting residual strain and relaxation. In contrast, unstrained films having the nondistorted cubic form showed no evidence of group-V ordering. The photoluminescence (PL) peak positions therefore corresponds to the inherent band gap of unstrained, unrelaxed, InAsSb. PL peaks were recorded for compositions up to 46$%$ Sb, reaching a peak wavelength of 10.3 \ensuremath{\mu}m, observed under low excitation at $T=13$ K. The alloy band gap energies determined from PL maxima are described with a bowing parameter of 0.87 eV, which is significantly larger than measured for InAsSb in earlier work. The sufficiently large bowing parameter and the ability to grow the alloys without ordering allows direct band gap InAsSb to be a candidate material for low-temperature long-wavelength infrared detector applications.
Hemodynamic Insights to Cardio-Renal Syndrome: A View Looking Back to See Forward

Heart failure has long been pictured as intersecting disorders of forward flow and backward pressure. This early simplification gradually unfolded to reveal the more complex physiology of dynamic mitral and tricuspid regurgitation as both detracting from forward flow and increasing congestion. Compromise of kidney function was initially assumed to be the result of impaired forward flow, with elevations in serum creatinine triggering termination of diuresis and sometimes even administration of fluids. However, growing recognition of right ventricular dysfunction such as from HF with preserved ejection fraction and right ventricular failure with left ventricular assist devices illuminated the deleterious effect of elevated right-sided filling pressures on renal dysfunction. It has now clearly been shown that right ventricular, right atrial, and triscupid valve disorders correlate more closely with progressive renal dysfunction than systolic abnormalities of systemic perfusion, except in the extreme case of cardiogenic shock in which many organs suffer. As for the cardinal symptoms of heart failure, the backward components dominate the disease for the kidney as well. The sequential addition of new medical and pacing device therapies and the strategy to monitor and manage filling pressures in ambulatory patients have dramatically reduced the episodes of congestion and hopefully the progressive deterioration of renal function during the heart failure journey. Still remaining, however, are the fundamental questions about the optimal way to treat heart failure while preserving renal function, and the primary pathophysiologic trigger for the first retention of fluid in cardiac disease.
Unintended machine learning biases as social barriers for persons with disabilitiess

Persons with disabilities face many barriers to full participation in society, and the rapid advancement of technology has the potential to create ever more. Building equitable and inclusive technologies for people with disabilities demands paying attention to more than accessibility, but also to how social attitudes towards disability are represented within technology. Representations perpetuated by machine learning (ML) models often inadvertently encode undesirable social biases from the data on which they are trained. This can result, for example, in text classification models producing very different predictions for I am a person with mental illness, and I am a tall person. In this paper, we present evidence of such biases in existing ML models, and in data used for model development. First, we demonstrate that a machine-learned model to moderate conversations classifies texts which mention disability as more "toxic". Similarly, a machine-learned sentiment analysis model rates texts which mention disability as more negative. Second, we demonstrate that neural text representation models that are critical to many ML applications can also contain undesirable biases towards mentions of disabilities. Third, we show that the data used to develop such models reflects topical biases in social discourse which may explain such biases in the models - for instance, gun violence, homelessness, and drug addiction are over-represented in discussions about mental illness.
Biobehavioral Dysregulation and its Association with Obesity and Severe Obesity Trajectories from 2 to 15 Years of Age: A Longitudinal Study

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to identify obesity trajectories from childhood to adolescence (2-15 years of age) and investigate differences in behavioral, eating, and adrenocortical regulation by trajectory membership. METHODS A total of 1,077 households from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development were included. Anthropometrics were measured 11 times between ages 15 months and 15 years. Behavioral self-regulation was assessed at ages 3 and 4 years. Disordered eating behaviors and awakening cortisol were assessed at age 15 years. RESULTS Latent growth curve modeling identified four BMI trajectories: two nonoverweight trajectories based on average BMI at the 40th and 70th percentiles and overweight/obesity and severe obesity trajectories. Youth in the severe obesity trajectory exhibited lower behavioral self-regulation in early childhood and lower awakening cortisol at age 15 years compared with youth in the nonoverweight trajectories. Youth in the overweight/obesity and severe obesity trajectories showed higher levels of disordered eating behaviors at age 15 years. CONCLUSIONS Obesity trajectories were associated with biobehavioral markers of dysregulation in early childhood and adolescence. Dysregulation across biobehavioral domains was particularly apparent among youth who developed severe obesity. Further work is needed to better understand resilience factors that distinguish youth who develop obesity and severe obesity from those who do not.
Antioxidant prevents clearance of hemostatically competent platelets after long-term cold storage.

Background Cold storage of platelets (PLTs) has the potential advantage of prolonging storage time while reducing posttransfusion infection given the decreased likelihood of bacterial outgrowth during storage and possibly beneficial effects in treating bleeding patients. However, cold storage reduces PLT survival through the induction of complex storage lesions, which are more accentuated when storage is prolonged. Study design and methods Whole blood-derived PLT-rich plasma concentrates from seven PLT pools (n = 5 donors per pool). PLT additive solution was added (67%/33% plasma) and the product was split into 50-mL bags. Split units were stored in the presence or absence of 1 mM of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) under agitation for up to 14 days at room temperature or in the cold and were analyzed for PLT activation, fibrinogen-dependent spreading, microparticle formation, mitochondrial respiratory activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, as well as in vivo survival and bleeding time correction in immunodeficient mice. Results Cold storage of PLTs for 7 days or longer induces significant PLT activation, cytoskeletal damage, impaired fibrinogen spreading, enhances mitochondrial metabolic decoupling and ROS generation, and increases macrophage-dependent phagocytosis and macrophage-independent clearance. Addition of NAC prevents PLT clearance and allows a correction of the prolonged bleeding time in thrombocytopenic, aspirin-treated, immunodeficient mice. Conclusions Long-term cold storage induces mitochondrial uncoupling and increased proton leak and ROS generation. The resulting ROS is a crucial contributor to the increased macrophage-dependent and -independent clearance of functional PLTs and can be prevented by the antioxidant NAC in a magnesium-containing additive solution.
Do Early Changes in Oxygen Saturation Index Correlate to Patient Outcomes

Background: Oxygen Saturation Index (OSI) has been shown to correlate with the Oxygen Index (OI) and is associated with increased mortality on the day of ARDS diagnosis1. OSI is calculated by (FIO2 X 100 X MAP) / SpO2. OSI is readily available data with no ABG required as is needed with OI. OSI can be calculated with every ventilator-patient assessment. There is limited information concerning the use of OSI outside of ARDS patients at the time of ARDS diagnosis. We wanted to determine if early changes in OSI on all adult ventilator patients would be associated with differences in patient outcomes. Methods: This study is a retrospective review of all mechanically ventilated patients in our adult ICUs since January 2014 who were ventilated in an ICU at least 48 hours. We collected the FIO2, mean airway pressure, SpO2 and location for each documented patient-ventilator assessment on day 1 and day 2 of ventilation. We excluded SpO2 values > 97% and FIO2 values of 100% because large changes in oxygenation only result in small changes of SpO2 in this range, similar to other OSI studies1. We calculated the maximum OSI on day 1 and day 2 of ventilation. We collected the outcomes (death, home discharge or other facility discharge) for all of the included patients. Patients were divided into two groups. Group 1: Maximum OSI decreased from day 1 to day 2. Group 2: Maximum OSI increased from day 1 to day 2. Minitab 18 was used for the data analysis. Results: 2,870 patients received ventilation > 48 h in an ICU since January 2014. Group 1 data: n=1,829, mortality=21.0%, home discharge=31.1%. Group 2 data: n=1,041, mortality=30.6%, home discharge=24.3%. Outcomes were significantly different between groups (P Conclusions: OSI can be calculated with readily available information at bedside. This study shows that the direction of change in the OSI between day one and day two of mechanical ventilation correlates to significant changes in mortality and home discharge of mechanically ventilated ICU patients. Awareness of the changes in OSI could help guide care towards more protective therapies if OSI is worsening. Future prospective studies could match patients by disease and severity to better understand the impact on those specific populations. 1. Chest 2017;152(6):1151-1158.
The Methods, Benefits and Limitations of Indoctrination in Mathematics Education

With mathematics education dominated by practices of standardized test alignment, the quest for mathematical understanding is adrift despite so much talk about the importance of STEM subject matters. To add to the confusion there has long been worries among educators about any curricular programs or instructional practices that can be labeled indoctrinative. The worse combination of practices seems afoot. Standardized testing has led to unmitigated indoctrination throughout much of public education yet the term is indoctrination is shunned as bad pedagogy. The argument here is that entry into any new discipline from times of antiquity to the present necessarily involves responsible and warranted indoctrination. Acknowledging the fruitful role of indoctrination early on should enable educators to benchmark when the practice has become excessive or otherwise inappropriate. Threshold moments demarcate between early instruction enabling the study of math from advanced and independent study wherein students’ development skills of reflection and evaluative deliberation relevant to mathematic thinking.
Childhood-Onset Multifocal Motor Neuropathy with IgM Antibodies to Gangliosides GM1: A Case Report with Poor Outcome.

Background Multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) is a slowly progressive motor neuropathy characterized by asymmetric muscle weakness without sensory involvement. Typically, MMN respond completely to treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). MMN is even rarer in the pediatric population, where only five patients have been reported up to now. Case Report We discuss the 3-year follow-up of a 13-year-old girl with MMN who was positive for IgM antibodies to gangliosides GM1. She was diagnosed with MMN in accordance with the European Federation of Neurological Societies/Peripheral Nerve Society (EFNS/PNS) criteria. Serological studies revealed that she tested positive for IgM antibodies to GM1. She underwent intravenous methylprednisolone followed by an oral prednisone taper, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), plasma exchange followed by IVIG and prednisone and Rituximab. No improvement was referred. At the present, she shows flaccid tetraplegia, facial diplegia, and bulbar cranial nerve palsy. Conclusion Although childhood onset MMN is rare, most patients reported in literature respond to IVIg treatment. In a few cases, however, IVIg can be ineffective. In our patient, IVIg as well as treatment with prednisolone, plasma exchange and rituximab have failed.
Internal Carotid Artery Agenesis in a Trauma Patient with Ipsilateral Neck GSWs

A 38-year-old man presented to the emergency room in the trauma bay for multiple ballistic injuries to the right neck. He was hemodynamically stable, protecting his airway, and neurologically intact. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) revealed absent filling the right internal carotid artery from its origin to the circle of Willis, which was intact, as well as absent petrous carotid canal on the right. The patient was diagnosed with right internal carotid artery (ICA) agenesis and discharged in several days. This report demonstrates the importance of an in-depth knowledge of vascular embryology and anatomy. The patient has agreed to have images and case details published.
Growth or decay of a coherent structure interacting with random waves.

Solitary waves interacting with random Rayleigh-Jeans distributed waves of a nonintegrable and noncollapsing nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation are studied. Two opposing types of dynamics are identified: First, the random thermal waves can erode the solitary wave; second, this structure can grow as a result of this interaction. These two types of behavior depend on a dynamical property of the solitary wave (its angular frequency), and on a statistical property of the thermal waves (the chemical potential). These two quantities are equal at a saddle point of the entropy that marks a transition between the two types of dynamics: high-amplitude coherent structures whose frequency exceeds the chemical potential grow and smaller structures with a lower frequency decay. Either process leads to an increase of the wave entropy. We show this using a thermodynamic model of two coupled subsystems, one representing the solitary wave and one for the thermal waves. Numerical simulations verify our results.
Learning to Navigate Sidewalks in Outdoor Environments.

Outdoor navigation on sidewalks in urban environments is the key technology behind important human assistive applications, such as last-mile delivery or neighborhood patrol. This paper aims to develop a quadruped robot that follows a route plan generated by public map services, while remaining on sidewalks and avoiding collisions with obstacles and pedestrians. We devise a two-staged learning framework, which first trains a teacher agent in an abstract world with privileged ground-truth information, and then applies Behavior Cloning to teach the skills to a student agent who only has access to realistic sensors. The main research effort of this paper focuses on overcoming challenges when deploying the student policy on a quadruped robot in the real world. We propose methodologies for designing sensing modalities, network architectures, and training procedures to enable zero-shot policy transfer to unstructured and dynamic real outdoor environments. We evaluate our learning framework on a quadrupedal robot navigating sidewalks in the city of Atlanta, USA. Using the learned navigation policy and its onboard sensors, the robot is able to walk 3.2 kilometers with a limited number of human interventions.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension: An overview.

ABSTRACT This article discusses the pathophysiology, risk factors, clinical manifestations, diagnostics, and pharmacologic treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension, as well as nursing considerations for caring for patients with this rare disease.
Causation by Presumption? Why the Supreme Court Should Reject Phantom Losses and Reverse Broudo

The Supreme Court is about to hear Dura Pharmaceuticals Inc. v. Broudo, a case in which the Ninth Circuit significantly liberalized the "loss causation" standards applicable to federal securities litigation. In response to a companion article by Professor Merritt Fox, which favors such a liberalization and even the abandonment of loss causation as a necessary element, Professor Coffee argues that any change in causation standards that permits a plaintiff to escape showing a decline in the security's stock market price attributable to the material misstatement or omission gives rise to perverse incentives, which would likely result in the award of phantom losses that may have been caused instead by other factors, such as a market bubble. More generally, he argues that the securities class action against the corporate defendant in cases of secondary market stock drops appears to serve little legitimate function, advancing neither compensatory nor deterrent ends. Instead, such actions against the corporation (as opposed to actions against gatekeepers, controlling persons or the corporation in the primary market setting) principally effect inefficient wealth transfers among largely diversified shareholders. Given the legal and other transaction costs involved, shareholders appear likely to be net losers from such actions. As a result, he concludes that further minimization of the causation requirement should await policy clarification of the role of the "fraud on the market" action against a non-trading issuer defendant.
Passive ranging by low-directivity antennas with quality estimate

Compared to the high-directivity patch and horn antennas, miniaturized omni-directional antennas allow more flexible integration with portable devices because of their smaller size, lower cost, broader angle coverage and less phase center variation. However, locating passive tags with low-directivity antennas in indoor environment becomes even more challenging due to more multi-paths and weaker line-of-sight (LoS) path. We propose a simple solution by digital beamforming with two arrays of 2-element antennas in a broadband harmonic multi-static backscatter system. Millimeter-precision ranging in weak LoS environment is achieved in a broad and sparse frequency scheme with omni-directional antennas which offer peak and average gain of 0.5dBi and −1.9dBi respectively. Our system employs sensing frequencies that are separated wider than typical indoor coherence bandwidth and therefore, we show that ranging robustness can be further enhanced by estimating angles of arrival (AoA) gap, i.e., unreliable measurements from dominant multi-paths can be distinguished and rejected. We present the fundamental theory, simulation and experiments with a homodyne harmonic RFID reader in a rich scattering environment.
Spectroscopic studies of hydrogen bonding: Part I. Trifluoroethanol

Abstract Infrared stretching frequency shifts and proton chemical shifts have been determined for the hydroxyl group of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol hydrogen bonded to a variety of Lewis bases. Linear correlations of these quantities with each other and with corresponding shifts for hydrogen bonded phenol have been interpreted in terms of a model which focuses attention on the distortion of the OH group when hydrogen bonding occurs. Analysis of the frequency shift, frequency shift relation for the two alcohols according to a recently proposed model for determining the relative OH bond energy changes is in excellent agreement with the chemical shift, chemical shift relation for the two acids. The interpretations of the various spectral change relations are discussed and contrasted with the acid pKa's and the substituent constants for phenyl and trifluoroethyl groups.
A patient dies--a social worker reviews his work.

When a patient spends the final six months of his life in the hospital, a social worker is presented with many opportunities and challenges - and some frustrations.
High-dose subchronic imipramine treatment: Effects on anxiety-like (conflict) behavior in rats

In the management of both anxiety and depression, agents such as imipramine (IMI) are noted for their 3–5 week delay to onset of clinical effect. A similar delay to onset has been reported for the anxiolytic-like (i.e., anticonflict) effect of chronic IMI treatment (2.5 mg/kg, BID for 5 weeks) in the Conditioned Suppression of Drinking (CSD) conflict paradigm; similar effects have been reported with other antidepressants and in other conflict procedures. In contrast, in the Forced Swim Test (FST) model of depression, antidepressant-like effects are reported immediately following subchronic treatment with relatively high doses of these agents (e.g., 30 mg/kg IMI, 3 times in 24 hr). The present study examined the effects of this high-dose, subchronic treatment with IMI on CSD conflict behavior. Conflict-trained female Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups with comparable pretreatment baselines for shocks received. Treatments (0, 15, and 30 mg/kg IMI) were administered intraperitoneally (IP) at 23, 5, and 1 hr prior to CSD conflict testing on day 1; CSD conflict behavior was then monitored daily (Mon-Fri) for 5 weeks following treatment. IMI treatment (30 and, to a lesser extent, 15 mg/kg) significantly reduced shocks received (punished responding) and water intake (unpunished responding) on day 1; although water intake was also slightly reduced in both IMI treatment groups for the remainder of test week 1, there was no difference in shocks received between the various treatments for this period. Subjects receiving 30 mg/kg IMI (but not those receiving 15 mg/kg IMI or vehicle) accepted significantly more shocks than controls on weeks 2–4 (maximal increase at week 3) and returned to pretreatment baseline levels by week 5. Thus, subchronic high-dose treatment with IMI (and perhaps other antidepressants) produces anxiolytic-like effects which are delayed in nature and persist for several weeks after treatment. Anxiety 1:109–113 (1994/1995). © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups. XVIII. Factors predictive of poor compliance with study visits.

Objective To determine the baseline factors predictive of poor compliance with study visits in a longitudinal multiethnic lupus cohort study. Methods Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 344) representing a total of 2,069 potential study visits were studied. Of the participants, 24.4% were Hispanic, 43.3% African American, and 32.3% Caucasian. Noncompliance was defined as missing 2 or more study visits. For the purpose of these analyses, visits completed only by review of medical records were considered missing. Baseline socioeconomic–demographic, clinical, and psychosocial features between compliant and noncompliant patients were compared. Variables with P < 0.10 were then entered into a multivariable logistic regression analysis with compliance being the dependent variable. Results There were 178 compliant and 166 noncompliant patients. Noncompliant patients were more likely to be young, unmarried, of African American ethnicity, live closer to the medical centers, and have longer disease duration and greater disease activity as assessed by the physician than the compliant patients. In the multivariable model, longer disease duration (P = 0.010), higher level of disease activity (P = 0.009), and shorter distance to travel to study visits (P = 0.046) were predictors of noncompliance; their odds ratios and confidence intervals were below 1. Conclusions We have identified baseline patient characteristics that may predict noncompliance with study visits (disease duration, disease activity, and distance to the medical center). This information will serve as the basis for developing interventions to curtail noncompliance. Our data may have applicability in other lupus cohort studies.
Clinical outcomes of liver transplantation for HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma: data from the NIH HBV OLT study.

Han SH, Reddy KR, Keeffe EB, Soldevila-Pico C, Gish R, Chung RT, Degertekin B, Lok ASF. Clinical outcomes of liver transplantation for HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma: data from the NIH HBV-OLT study. Clin Transplant 2011: 25: E152–E162. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Abstract: Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an indication for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in patients with tumor stage within the United Network for Organ Sharing criteria. The number of patients listed for HBV-related HCC is increasing, while the number of patients listed for HBV-related cirrhosis is declining presumptively because of the availability of more effective oral nucleos(t)ide analogues. This study presents the final, long-term outcome of patients transplanted for HBV-related HCC in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) HBV OLT Study Group. Results: Ninety-eight patients (52.4%) in the NIH HBV OLT cohort underwent OLT for HBV-related HCC. With a mean follow-up of 36.5 months post-OLT, 12 (12.2%) patients developed recurrence of HCC. Multivariate analysis did not find a statistically significant role of gender, tumor stage at OLT, pre-OLT HCC treatment, recurrence of HBV, or duration of HCC diagnosis pre-OLT in predicting HCC recurrence. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level >200 ng/mL at transplant was found to be statistically significant in predicting HCC recurrence (p = 0.003). HCC recurrence was significantly associated with decreased post-OLT survival. Conclusion: HCC is the most common indication for OLT in patients with chronic hepatitis B in the era of more effective oral antivirals. Serum AFP at the time of OLT is significantly associated with HCC recurrence.
Analysis of classes of compound of environmental concern: I. Nitroaromatic compounds

Thirty five nitroaromatic compounds (currently listed in EPA Method 8091) and 1,4-naphthoquinone have been separated on DB-5–DB-1701 and SPB-5–SPB-1701 column pairs, which were in each case connected to an inlet splitter and separate electron capture detectors. Retention times are included for 21 additional compounds evaluated for their suitability as internal standards and/or surrogate compounds for incorporation into Method 8091. Method reproducibility and linearity are discussed, and results are presented for extracts of two real samples spiked with the 35 nitroaromatic compounds and 1,4-naphthoquinone and analyzed using the dual-column-dual-detector arrangement.
Generation of gigawatt subnanosecond 1.06 μm pulses by regenerative amplification in Nd:Glass

Abstract A 0.1 μJ, 40 ps pulse, selected from a TEM00 Nd:YAG master oscillator has been regeneratively amplified in a single 0.9 cm diameter gain module to the 100 mJ level while preserving both its temporal and spatial characteristics. Scaling of regenerative amplifiers to larger aperture 1.06 μm lasers is discussed.
Alleviation of IgM monoclonal protein interference in nephelometric assays by sample treatment with reducing agent in a chaotropic salt solution.

In some patients, the presence of monoclonal IgM proteins can cause substantial false elevation in nephelometric assays. A 59-year-old woman with previously unrecognized Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia had high serum viscosity. Nephelometric analysis revealed elevated measured concentrations of IgG, IgA, and IgM. Pretreatment with a reducing salt solution yielded resolution of cross-linked immunoglobulins into a distinct IgM κ monoclonal protein band by immunofixation electrophoresis. Measured quantitative immunoglobulin measurements in treated and untreated specimens were compared. An approximately 50% drop in IgG and IgA concentrations was observed in the presence of reducing agent, while IgM concentrations were unchanged. We report that the addition of reducing agent solution can alleviate artifactual elevation of nephelometric determination of IgG and IgA concentrations. These results are consistent with dissociation of higher order IgM complexes, leading to reduction of nonspecific light scattering by IgM complexes in IgA and IgG nephelometric reactions.
Engineering myosins for long-range transport on actin filaments

Cytoskeletal motors act as cargo transporters in cells and may be harnessed for directed transport applications in molecular detection and diagnostic devices. High processivity, the ability to take many steps along a track before dissociating, is often a desirable characteristic because it allows nanoscale motors to transport cargoes over distances on the scale of micrometres, in vivo and in vitro. Natural processive myosins are dimeric and use internal tension to coordinate the detachment cycles of the two heads. Here, we show that processivity can be enhanced in engineered myosins using two non-natural strategies designed to optimize the effectiveness of random, uncoordinated stepping: (1) the formation of three-headed and four-headed myosins and (2) the introduction of flexible elements between heads. We quantify improvements using systematic single-molecule characterization of a panel of engineered motors. To test the modularity of our approach, we design a controllably bidirectional myosin that is robustly processive in both forward and backward directions, and also produce the fastest processive cytoskeletal motor measured so far, reaching a speed of 10 µm s(-1).
Regulation of gluconeogenesis by glycerol and its phosphorylated derivatives.

Abstract Glycerol, glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P), and dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) were evaluated as inhibitors of gluconeogensis on rat liver enzymes in vitro, and for their effects on glucose formation in vivo in well-nourished and malnourished rats. DHAP was more potent as an inhibitor than G3P on fructose-1,6-diphosphatase (FDPase), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase). The I50 for DHAP was 2, 8, and 9 × 10−3 m , respectively. No effect was observed on rat liver pyruvate carboxylase (PC). Glycerol was a weak inhibitor of FDPase and PEPCK, but did not inhibit PC and G6Pase. In vivo, when G3P was injected before a parenteral l -alanine (Ala) challenge, it produced a hypoglycemic effect in malnourished rats and a lesser, but noticeable, blood glucose level reduction in well-fed animals. Glycerol caused a smaller reduction in glucose formation from Ala. No comparable effects were observed after a fructose pretreatment. These results underscore the potential hypoglycemic effects of phosphorylated glycerol metabolites and identify the steps in gluconeogenesis where this action is exerted. The study also stresses the nutritional component in the glycerol intolerance syndrome, apparent from the far more severe effects observed in malnourished rats given G3P or glycerol prior to Ala.
Stabilizing the production of nonnative consonant clusters with acoustic variability

Previous research on the perception, recognition, and learning of sounds and words has identified diverse effects of phonetic variation. The present study examined how variation affects cross-language production of consonant clusters. American English speakers shadowed words beginning with nonnative clusters in low- and high-variability conditions. Shadowing responses in the low-variability condition were quite sensitive to fine-grained phonetic properties that were manipulated across the stimuli. Notably, longer stop bursts led to increased rates of epenthesis, lower burst amplitudes resulted in more feature change and deletion, and intense periods of voicing at cluster onset elicited prothetic responses. Sensitivity to the acoustic manipulations was substantially attenuated in the high-variability condition, which combined stimuli from the first condition with baseline productions of the same items from two additional talkers. Detailed analyses of the response patterns indicate that more stable production targets in the high-variability condition resulted from integration, or blending, of the multiple talker stimuli. Implications of these findings for language-specific speech processing and the role of phonetic variability in second language acquisition are discussed.
Technology and place

(2001). Technology and Place. Journal of Architectural Education: Vol. 54, No. 3, pp. 121-122.