cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with parametrial involvement in patients with stage IB1 cervical cancer: Who is suitable for less radical surgery?

Objective To detect the possible clinicopathologic factors associated with parametrial involvement in patients with stage IB1 cervical cancer and to identify a cohort of patients who may benefit from less radical surgery. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 120 patients who underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy as treatment for stage IB1 cervical cancer. Results Overall, 18 (15.0%) patients had parametrial tumor involvement. Tumor size larger than 2 cm, invasion depth greater than 1 cm, presence of lymphovascular space involvement (LVSI), corpus involvement, and positive lymph nodes were statistically associated with parametrial involvement. Multivariate analysis for other factors showed invasion depth >1 cm (P=0.029), and corpus involvement (P=0.022) were significantly associated with parametrial involvement. A subgroup with tumor size smaller than 2 cm showed no parametrial involvement, regardless of invasion depth or presence of LVSI. Conclusion Tumor size smaller than 2 cm showed no parametrial involvement, regardless of invasion depth or presence of LVSI. Invasion depth >1 cm and corpus involvement were significantly associated with parametrial involvement in multivariate analysis. These finding may suggest that tumor size may a strong predictor of parametrial involvement in International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IB1 cervical cancer, which can be used to select a subgroup population for less radical surgery.
Classification of UXO Using Convolutional Networks Trained on a Limited Dataset

Classification of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in a fast and accurate manner is an imperative need in both the military and humanitarian demining contexts. An automated algorithm would significantly make the task safer, more convenient and less expensive. This paper targets this problem with the development of an image based approach and employs convolutional networks with images that were acquired on a custom camera setup. As access to multiple samples of ordnance can often be an issue, this work focuses on training the algorithm using a limited dataset and for optimizing its performance when ordnance is found in varying conditions. In particular, seven classes of UXO are considered with 420 images used for the training set and 140 images for the validation set. Using images that account for variation, a classifier was developed which was found to be 97.1% accurate.
Physical and chemical characterization of rejuvenated reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) binders using rheology testing and pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

The use of rejuvenators to restore the properties of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) binders is gaining widespread interest mainly due to its ability to lower the binders’ stiffness and enhance their low temperature resistance. The effect that several rejuvenators have on the rheological properties of the modified binders is well-characterized. However, the nature of the interaction between the rejuvenator and the base binder is still not clearly understood. In this research, a rejuvenator made from soybean oil is blended at 6% dosage with an extracted RAP binder. The durability of the modified binder is assessed using laboratory simulated short-term and long-term aging. The performance grade and rheological properties of the modified binder are determined at different stages of aging. Pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Pyrolysis/GC–MS) is used to probe the chemical composition of the rejuvenator and the chemical stability of the rejuvenator with aging is investigated. The unaged and PAV-aged modified binder are studied using pyrolysis followed by GC–MS, to examine the nature of the chemical interaction between the rejuvenator and the binder, both before and after aging. Pyrolysis is used to thermally desorb the rejuvenator before it is being cryotrapped using liquid nitrogen. The cryotrapped evolved gases are then analyzed using GC–MS. The rheological testing shows that the rejuvenated RAP binder has lower stiffness, higher phase angle and significantly improved fatigue resistance. The pyrolysis/GC–MS results reveal that the rejuvenator is undergoing changes during aging as it interacts with the base binder.
Study of Performance Impact from Powering RF Receiver Front-End Circuits with a DC-DC Converter

This paper studies the effects of DC-DC switching converters on RF and analog baseband circuits. Simulations of a low-noise amplifier, mixer, and lowpass filter have shown that the impact of switching supply noise can be kept to small levels by design. For the case of loads with frequency conversion, a boost converter design technique to shift the switching frequency of the converter out of the band of interest is proposed.
OpenTag: Open Attribute Value Extraction from Product Profiles

Extraction of missing attribute values is to find values describing an attribute of interest from a free text input. Most past related work on extraction of missing attribute values work with a closed world assumption with the possible set of values known beforehand, or use dictionaries of values and hand-crafted features. How can we discover new attribute values that we have never seen before? Can we do this with limited human annotation or supervision? We study this problem in the context of product catalogs that often have missing values for many attributes of interest. In this work, we leverage product profile information such as titles and descriptions to discover missing values of product attributes. We develop a novel deep tagging model OpenTag for this extraction problem with the following contributions: (1) we formalize the problem as a sequence tagging task, and propose a joint model exploiting recurrent neural networks (specifically, bidirectional LSTM) to capture context and semantics, and Conditional Random Fields (CRF) to enforce tagging consistency; (2) we develop a novel attention mechanism to provide interpretable explanation for our model's decisions; (3) we propose a novel sampling strategy exploring active learning to reduce the burden of human annotation. OpenTag does not use any dictionary or hand-crafted features as in prior works. Extensive experiments in real-life datasets in different domains show that OpenTag with our active learning strategy discovers new attribute values from as few as 150 annotated samples (reduction in 3.3x amount of annotation effort) with a high F-score of 83%, outperforming state-of-the-art models.
Einstein Geometry and Hyperbolic Equations

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the relation between the geometry of the Minkowski space, generalized energy estimates, and uniform rates of decay for two other examples of linear field equations in Minkowski space—Maxwell (M) and spin-2 field (Sp) equations. For completeness, the chapter also presents scalar wave equation. The focus is on the study of Sp and its connection to an outstanding problem in general relativity. Sp equations are connected to the Bianchi identities satisfied by the Riemann curvature tensor of Einstein-Vacuum space-times which is also described in the chapter. All the results presented in this chapter have been derived in collaboration with D. Christodoulou .
Histology of Barrett’s Metaplasia: Do Goblet Cells Matter?

This review has provided a summary of the biology of goblet cell metaplasia in CLE as it pertains to BE. Goblet cells are terminally differentiated nonproliferative cells that have many overlapping histochemical characteristics with mucinous columnar cells and pseudogoblet cells. There is an abundance of evidence that suggests that use of goblet cells as a biomarker of BE, and its progression to malignancy, is problematic. Some of these limitations include the fact that the background non-goblet epithelium in most patients with CLE is biologically intestinalized and contains molecular abnormalities similar to goblet cell CLE, goblet cells fluctuate with time and decrease in number with progression of neoplasia, and pathologists have problems with interpretation, and distinction, of goblet cells from other types of cells in the esophagus. Sampling error results in sensitivity and specificity issues that limit its positive predictive value. Goblet cells are fewest in number in the same population of patients with CLE that are hardest to detect endoscopically (i.e., those with short or ultrashort CLE). Nevertheless, the risk of cancer in patients with short-segment BE, a condition difficult to distinguish from the stomach, is very low regardless of the presence or absence of goblet cells so it is unclear what the role of goblet cells is in these patients as a biomarker. Nevertheless, if the answer to the following question, “Would you as a gastroenterologist recommend surveillance for a patient with clear endoscopic evidence of CLE, particularly if it is ≥ 3 cm in length, but in which goblet cells were not reported to be present by the pathologist,” is yes, then the US requirement for goblet cells as part of the criteria for “BE” is superfluous.
Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction index based on non-invasive measurements

Background Echocardiographic tissue Doppler or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements of early diastolic mitral annular velocity with other appropriate parameters are frequently used as a non-invasive diagnostic tool of diastolic dysfunction. Previously published global approach utilizing normalized left ventricular (LV) torsion shear angle volume loop ( _hat V_hat loop) was proposed to provide a new global description of LV diastolic function. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the discriminant power of these non-invasive parameters in identifying elevated LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) (i.e. LVEDP≥15ml) and provide a non-invasive index to predict elevated LVEDP. Methods A group of 23 patients with LV ejection fraction≥50% without acute infarct undergoing cardiac catheterization that did not undergo percutaneous coronary intervention were studied using high-fidelity pressure measurement. Echocardiogram with flow and tissue Doppler quantification was performed on the same date of cardiac catheterization for all participants. Cine and tagged cardiac MRI were performed on all subjects, followed by comprehensive volumetric and strain analysis. The database consisted of five parameters collected from all subjects: torsion hysteresis area (THA), peak -d_hat/dV_hat at early diastole, MRI derived E/AMRI, echocardiographic derived E/A and E/e’. Stepwise variable selection was applied to select parameters with significance level of leave out and stay in equal to 0.15. A logistic regression classifier was used to construct the non-invasive index for identifying elevated LVEDP based on the selected parameters. The classifier’s prediction performance was analyzed using a Receiver-Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve and expressed as its sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and area under the curve (AUC). Results
Cumulating search in a distributed computing environment: a case study in parallel satisfiability

We present a parallel propositional satisfiability (SAT) prover called PSATO for networks of workstations. PSATO is based on the sequential SAT prover SATO, which is an efficient implementation of the Davis-Putnam algorithm. The master-slave model is used for communication. A simple and effective workload balancing method distributes the workload among workstations. A key property of our method is that the concurrent processes explore disjoint portions of the search space. In this way, we use parallelism without introducing redundant search. Our approach provides solutions to the problems of (i) cumulating intermediate results of separated runs of reasoning programs; (ii) designing high scalable parallel algorithms and (iii) supporting “fault-tolerant” distributed computing. Several open problems in the study of quasigroups have been solved using PSATO.
Purification of erythroblastic nests

We describe a method for preparing purified erythroblastic nests in large numbers (approximately 10(6)/run) in three steps: (1) induction of splenic erythropoiesis in mice, (2) preparative differential centrifugation for the removal of erythrocytes and single cells from spleen cell suspensions, and (3) sedimentation in an isokinetic gradient of Ficoll 400 in Joklik's modification of minimum essential medium. Viability of isolated EN is very high, as demonstrated by the trypan blue exclusion and in vitro erythrocyte formation methods.
Practical aspects of urea and ammonia metabolism in ruminants

Nitrogen was recognized over 200 yr ago as an element essential for normal function of farm animals. During the first half of the 19th century, the roles of proteins and urea in N metabolism were discovered. By the middle of the 20th century, the substrates, products, and enzymes of the urea cycle were elucidated. Work since then has quantified dietary crude protein requirements for specific production goals, protein synthesis and breakdown, ruminal ammonia production, endogenous urea synthesis, and urea recycling. In ruminants fed conventional diets, N absorbed as ammonia can be several times the amount of N absorbed in the form of amino acids or peptides. Nitrogen recycled to the digestive tract as urea in saliva or urea transported from blood ranges from 10 to 40% of N consumed in feed. Under production conditions, from 0 to 20% of N consumed by ruminants is retained as tissue N or excreted as milk protein. This review describes the quantitative aspects of urea and ammonia metabolism in ruminants and it relates the metabolic or economic costs of that metabolism to practical feeding situations. The review concludes with a discussion of conflicts and considerations among three main priorities in ruminant N metabolism: 1) maximizing microbial function in the rumen; 2) optimizing amino acid supply to the host ruminant; and 3) minimizing negative environmental effects of cycling N through ruminant production systems.
Optimum biorthogonal subband coders

This paper considers biorthogonal maximally decimated uniform filter banks as subband coders. Subject to assumptions of optimum bit allocation and white decorrelated quantizer distortion, it derives the filter bank that maximizes the coding gain. Ingredients to the solution include design techniques developed by Vaidyanathan for optimal orthonormal subband coders and a generalization of the half whitening process that is known to maximize the coding gain of 1-channel biorthogonal filter banks.
Frühe Förderung eines entwicklungsorientierten Schriftspracherwerbs – aktueller Forschungsstand, Forschungsfragen und Design der Studie

In diesem Beitrag sollen zentrale Facetten der aktuellen BMBF-Langsschnittstudie „Forderung eines entwicklungsorientierten Schriftspracherwerbs im Kindergarten“ dargestellt werden. Der Schwerpunkt des Beitrags liegt darauf, Befunde zu fruhen Schriftsprachkompetenzen uberblickshaft zusammenzufassen, Forschungsfragen herauszuarbeiten und das Interventionskonzept der Studie vorzustellen. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf den Erkenntnissen zu Entwicklungen im letzten Kindergartenjahr.
Constellations of CubeSats to exploit signals-of-opportunity for Earth system science

Signals-of-Opportunity (SoOp) reflectometry is a concept for reutilizing existing microwave satellite transmissions, in bands allocated for space-to-Earth communications and navigation, for the purpose of Earth remote sensing. SoOp uses a bistatic radar geometry employing forward scatter, which views Earth differently from traditional monostatic (backscatter) radars and radiometers. Additionally, SoOp enables use of microwave frequencies outside the limited number of narrow and protected bands allocated for remote sensing. A powerful example of the science returns achievable using SoOp is currently being demonstrated on orbit by the NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission, which measures ocean surface wind speed using reflected Global Positioning System (GPS) signals. Over the past decade we have seen a growing number of communication and navigation signals coming into existence spanning the range of frequencies from Very High Frequency (VHF) to K Bands, which could be used to measure different variables using wavelengths optimally suited to specific interactions with the Earth system, including: Soil Moisture; Sea Surface Height; Ocean Vector Winds; Snow Water Equivalent; Root Zone Soil Moisture; and Vegetation Water Content. The use of SoOp for earth remote sensing could enable these measurements from small passive receivers in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on CubeSat constellations to improve the temporal frequency of the observations. This paper describes different architectures of CubeSats constellations that could be used to measure different science measurements as well as identifying some of the challenges of the SoOp technique.
Local and Global Stretching of Polymer Chains during Startup of Extensional Flow

The nonlinear rheological response to extensional flows in entangled polymers is related to the segmental chain stretching and to the chemical identity of the monomeric units. The latter has a stro...
Producing and Contesting Climate Injustice

Climate injustice is produced by specific relationalities. Climate justice initiatives raise challenges to and endeavor to supplant those relationalities. This chapter considers some fundamental conditions of both processes, establishing as it does so the contours of their substantive origins as well as the analytical perspective that will animate subsequent chapters. That perspective combines the basic science of climate change and human dimensions thereof with a set of related empirical and conceptual concerns in geography, political ecology, socio-legal and social movement studies, and political theory. Together these help to elucidate both the challenges and the promises of climate justice as a political project.
Analysis of scattering characteristics from inland bodies of water observed by CYGNSS

Abstract Measurements made by spaceborne Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) instruments have shown strong reflected power over inland waters that has been attributed to coherent scattering coming from the first Fresnel zone. Previous work in the field has shown the ability of GNSS-R to observe the global surface water distribution by generating dynamic maps of wetlands and other inundated areas. These maps can be generated by leveraging the large difference in received power of the GNSS signals as they reflect from water surfaces compared to land. In this paper, we utilize a full-forward scattering model approach to evaluate the accuracy of these maps. The CYGNSS End-to-End Simulator (E2ES) was extended to include the contributions from coherent surface scattering in heterogeneous regions where the area around the specular point contains both water and land in complex geometries. The simulator is then used to analyze the accuracy of a current approach to estimate the surface water content in the first Fresnel zone from a single measurement, called a fractional water in footprint approach. We find that contributions to the total received power by the scattering from outside the first Fresnel zone as well as CYGNSS instrument effects impact the accuracy of this approach. Furthermore, the measured signal from calibration scattering targets is compared to the results of simulation to validate the scattering model. The work shows that the variability of the peak reflected power over inland bodies of water due to the scene heterogeneities should be accounted for in designing retrieval algorithms to map wetland extent.
From the Tricontinental to the Global South: Race, Radicalism, and Transnational Solidarity: by James Green, Durham, NC, Duke University Press, 2018, 322 pp., $27.95 (paperback), ISBN 978-14-7800-086-0

In recent years, the defense and promotion of LGBTQ rights has become such an essential component to the political project of a good part of the international left that it may be easy to ignore the...
TYPE + CODE VII : Typographic selfie + code

A selfie is a self-portrait digital photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically taken with a smartphone or web camera and shared by social media. The typographic selfie + CODE is an extension of Selfie + CODE, which is a collection of generative selfies taken by the author to raise awareness of Asian female faculty being isolated and marginal in a predominantly white institution of the United States. The computational processes expend the concepts of traditional self-portraits to generative visual languages conveying specific thoughts or feelings. Typography is a form of art to make written language expressive by using letter forms and text. Based on the type choices, different emotions and moods can be visually expressed through the generative selfies. The typographic selfie + CODE is visual research with diverse typefaces to embed visual expression into generative selfies.
Do Differences in Livestock Management Practices Influence Environmental Impacts

Herbivore-carnivore interactions have been fundamental to grassland ecosystem functionality and to the human cultures that have long depended on these ecosystems for their nutrition. However, a large literature has developed during the past century indicating that animal agriculture is responsible for numerous negative environmental impacts. In this paper, I review literature on some of the environmental impacts of two different livestock management approaches, industrial-conventional (IC) management and regenerative-multi-paddock (RM) management. I consider the null hypothesis that the environmental impacts of ruminant livestock production are independent of the approach used to manage animals and grazing lands. It evident in the literature that managed grazing ecosystems are complex, and for certain system attributes, such forage quality and community structure, determination of the better management system is difficult to discern. It is, furthermore, unclear whether more research will produce a more definitive answer. In other areas resolution was clearer. For instance, it would appear that the soils of RM grasslands exhibit higher microbial biomass and diversity, and higher fungal: bacterial ratios than IC soils. Several impacts associated with livestock production appear to have less to do with grazing, per se, and more to do with support factors, most notably feed production. Data from several sources suggest that changes in feed production use factors by pasture-based (RM) management may reduce blue withdrawals by >50% and GHG emissions by approximately 28% relative to conventional production. Life cycle assessment reveals that RM livestock finishing tends to be carbon negative due to high C-sequestration rates associated with grazing-land management, while IC finishing represents a substantial carbon source. Accumulating data suggest that a significant portion of the CO2-eq can be removed from the atmosphere and stored in the soil by applying RM management practices. While research design may affect the outcome of some studies, the quality and quantity of the science may not resolve discrepancies in the data. It is suggested that the viability and sustainability of animal agriculture may depend on broadening the goals of practitioners to include both food production and the maintenance of environmental health.
Prognostic Implications of Rising Serum Monoclonal Protein and Free Light Chains after Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Multiple Myeloma

Patients who undergo autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for multiple myeloma (MM) are routinely assessed at day +100 using serum and urine protein electrophoresis/immunofixation and the serum free light chain (sFLC) assay. We evaluated whether an increase in M-spike or FLC from immediately before ASCT to day +100 post-ASCT has any prognostic impact. We retrospectively reviewed 1218 patients with MM at the Mayo Clinic who underwent their first ASCT between 2000 and 2016. We stratified patients into those with a rise in M-spike by at least 0.1 g/dL from immediately before ASCT to day +100 post-ASCT (M-spike cohort 1) and those who did not (M-spike cohort 2). We also stratified patients into those with a rise in the involved FLC by at least 5 mg/dL (FLC cohort 1) and those who did not (FLC cohort 2). Survival analysis for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. A rise in M-spike by at least 0.1 g/dL from pre-ASCT to day +100 was seen in 53 patients (4.3%). The median PFS and OS were found to be significantly shorter in M-spike cohort 1 compared with their counterparts (median PFS, 10 months versus 26 months [P < .0001]; median OS, 35 months versus 79 months [P < .0001]). An increase in involved FLC by at least 5 mg/dL was observed in 25 patients (2.3%). Similarly, the median PFS and OS were found to be inferior in FLC cohort 1 compared with FLC cohort 2 (median PFS, 4 months versus 28 months [P < .0001]; median OS, 11 months versus 82 months [P < .0001]). An increase of M-spike by at least 0.1 g/dL and an increase in involved FLC by at least 5 mg/dL from pre-ASCT to day +100 increases the likelihood of an early relapse after ASCT, and these patients may benefit from closer surveillance after day +100.
Intubation among emergency department and hospitalized patients with COVID-19: A retrospective analysis of 18,467 patients

INTRODUCTION: As of December 18, 2020, there have been nearly 17 million cases of COVID-19 in the United States. Early studies reported intubation rates between 12.2-29.2% with varying criteria between sites and as the pandemic has progressed. With the rapid spread of infection and increased use of ventilators, triage of patients based on factors such as their past medical history can help guide resource allocation. This retrospective study examined a large multi-center cohort of patients with COVID-19 infection to identify risk factors associated with intubation. METHODS: Adult patients with an emergency department or inpatient encounter from December 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 with COVID-19 were included in the Cerner COVID-19 dataset, which was extracted from 62 hospital systems throughout the United States. Only patients with at least two previous visits in the past 5 years were included. ICD-10 diagnosis codes, demographic data, and discharge status were collected and classified based on intubation status. Logistic regression model identified independently associated risk factors for intubation. RESULTS:18,467 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were identified, with 5,525 seen only in the ED and 12,942 hospitalized. The mean age was 54.3 ± 20.5 years, the mean body mass index (BMI) was 30.42 ± 11.72, 8,397 (45.6%) patients were male, and 938 (7.2%) were intubated. 1,829 (14.1%) patients died in the hospital and 4,185 (22.7%) had a non-routine discharge, which encompasses home health care, short-term hospital, other facility including intermediate care and skilled nursing home. Using multivariate logistic regression, patients who were intubated were more likely to present with stroke, pneumonia, acute kidney injury, septic shock, respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, and encephalopathy. From patient demographics and past medical history, male sex (p=0.011), age > 35 (p=0.035 for 35-49 years old;p 50 years old), BMI > 30 (p=0.013 for BMI 30-40;p=0.004 for BMI >40), and previous respiratory failure (p=0.014) were independently associated with intubation. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with COVID-19, male sex, increased age, BMI > 30, and previous respiratory failure were independently associated with the risk for intubation. Intubated patients were also more likely to present with stroke, pneumonia, acute kidney injury, septic shock, respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, and encephalopathy. Clinicians should be aware of these independent risk factors for intubation to facilitate resource allocation and minimize the possibility of unanticipated crash intubations.
Movements and Parties: Critical Connections in American Political Development

How do social movements intersect with the agendas of mainstream political parties? When they are integrated with parties, are they coopted? Or are they more radically transformative? Examining major episodes of contention in American politics – from the Civil War era to the women's rights and civil rights movements to the Tea Party and Trumpism today – Sidney Tarrow tackles these questions and provides a new account of how the interactions between movements and parties have been transformed over the course of American history. He shows that the relationships between movements and parties have been central to American democratization – at times expanding it and at times threatening its future. Today, movement politics have become more widespread as the parties have become weaker. The future of American democracy hangs in the balance.
Toxoplasmosis Encephalitis: A Cross-Sectional Analysis at a U.S. Safety-Net Hospital in the Late cART Era

Despite decreasing incidence of toxoplasmosis encephalitis(TE) among people living with HIV(PLWH) in the late antiretroviral era, U.S. safety-net hospitals still see significant numbers of admissions for TE. Little is known about this population, their healthcare utilization and long-term outcomes. We conducted an 8-year retrospective review of PLWH with TE at a safety-net hospital. Demographics, clinical characteristics, treatments, readmissions, and outcomes were collected. We used chi-squared test to evaluate 6-month all-cause readmission and demographic/clinical characteristics. Of 38 patients identified, 79% and 40% had a new diagnosis of TE and HIV respectively. 59% had 6-month all-cause readmission. Social factors were associated with readmission (uninsured (p = 0.036), Spanish as primary language (p = 0.017), non-adherence (p = 0.030)) and not markers of clinical severity (ICU admission, steroid-use, concomitant infections, therapeutic adverse events). Despite high readmission rates, at follow-up, 60% had a complete response, 30% had a partial response. Improving TE outcomes requires focus on culturally competent, coordinated care.
Telescoping bimodal latent Dirichlet allocation to identify expression QTLs across tissues

Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs), or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that affect average gene expression levels, provide important insights into context-specific gene regulation. Classic eQTL analyses use one-to-one association tests, which test gene-variant pairs individually and ignore correlations induced by gene regulatory networks and linkage disequilibrium. Probabilistic topic models, such as latent Dirichlet allocation, estimate latent topics for a collection of count observations. Prior multi-modal frameworks that bridge genotype and expression data assume matched sample numbers between modalities. However, many data sets have a nested structure where one individual has several associated gene expression samples and a single germline genotype vector. Here, we build a telescoping bimodal latent Dirichlet allocation (TBLDA) framework to learn shared topics across gene expression and genotype data that allows multiple RNA-sequencing samples to correspond to a single individual9s genotype. By using raw count data, our model avoids possible adulteration via normalization procedures. Ancestral structure is captured in a genotype-specific latent space, effectively removing it from shared components. Using GTEx v8 expression data across ten tissues and genotype data, we show that the estimated topics capture meaningful and robust biological signal in both modalities, and identify associations within and across tissue types. We identify 53,358 cis-eQTLs and 1,173 trans-eQTLs by conducting eQTL mapping between the most informative features in each topic. Our TBLDA model is able to identify associations using raw sequencing count data when the samples in two separate data modalities are matched one-to-many, as is often the case in biological data. All software is available at: https://github.com/gewirtz/TBLDA
Exercise Testing and Interpretation: A Practical Approach

This 2001 book provides a practical and systematic approach to the acquisition, interpretation, and reporting of physiologic responses to exercise. Pulmonologists, cardiologists, and sports physicians, as well as respiratory therapists and other allied health professionals will find this book an indispensable resource when learning to select proper instruments, identify the most appropriate test protocols, and integrate and interpret physiologic response variables. The final chapter presents clinical cases to illuminate useful strategies for exercise testing and interpretation. Useful appendices offer laboratory forms, algorithms and calculations, as well as answers to FAQs. A glossary of terms, symbols, and definitions is also included. Exercise Testing and Interpretation: A Practical Approach offers clearly defined responses (both normal and abnormal) to over thirty performance variables including aerobic, cardiovascular, ventilatory, and gas-exchange variables. Practical, portable, and easy-to-read, this essential guidebook can be used as a complement to more detailed books on the topic, or stand on its own.
Chapter 8 On the Role of Cohorts or Neighbors in Visual Word Recognition

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a model that accounts for the fact that letters are used in the process of reading words, while at the same time that letter information has no immediate availability to the reader. In addition, a similar comparison that needs to be handled is the fact that word recognition is influenced by the number of other words that share letters with the target word; while on the other hand, there is a larger effect of the cultural frequency of the word as a whole. In general, then, the critical issue has been to account for the fact that although for word displays, word-level characteristics have an almost overwhelming impact on recognition processes, it is also the case that attributes of letter-level encodings, which are absolutely critical. The cohort model of visual word recognition draws a basic distinction between the encoding of orthographic information and the use of the product of that encoding process for lexical and semantic access. It is assumed that the critical event during orthographic processing is the encoding of letter identities in terms of their immediate orthographic context (that is, their two adjacent letters). These context-sensitive encodings are termed “wickelgraphs,” and the possible set of such wickelgraphs instantiates the rules of orthography. In addition, the context information within a wickelgraph is assumed to dictate the manner in which it can be integrated into the unitary and abstract orthographic pattern that is used for lexical access.
Multiwell 14CO2-capture assay for evaluation of substrate oxidation rates of cells in culture

14CO2 capture is commonly used to evaluate the cellular oxidation rate of respiratory substrates. A modification of the established 14CO2-capture method was developed that enables the use of cells ...
Database Issues for Data Visualization: Developing a Data Model

The remainder of this paper discusses the major issues related to the development of data models for scientific visualization which were identified by the data model subgroup at the IEEE Workshop on Database Issues in Visualization held in October 1993 in San Jose, California. The issues include the need to develop a reasonable taxonomy to apply to data models, the definition of metadata (or ancillary data), the notion of levels of abstraction available for defining a data model, the nature and role of queries in a data model, and the effects of data errors on a data model.
Psychology and Medical Rehabilitation: Moving Toward a Consumer-Driven Health Care System

Changes in health care will provide both opportunities and threats for rehabilitation psychologists. We must demonstrate the relevance of our clinical services to important outcomes or risk being excluded as treatment providers. With shifts to nonhospital settings, we can provide increasing clinical and administrative leadership. However, we must redefine models of treatment to include home care and “telepsychology,” practice guidelines and critical paths, involvement of paraprofessionals, case management, injury prevention, and health promotion. We should be involved when datasets are established to define disability-related health policies and reimbursement and be proactive in Medicare, Medicaid, and managed care reform to develop treatment packages to decrease long-term handicap. Collaboration with consumers is critical. We must frame research questions to address current policy issues. Our skills can help improve the effectiveness of human behavior, whether it be patients with illness, consumers with disability, health care providers, health systems managers, or legislators.
Demonstration of Array-Based Analysis for Highly Multiplexed PCR Assays: Application to Detection of IGH@-BCL2 Translocations in FFPE Follicular Lymphoma Specimens

We demonstrate an approach that allowed rapid development of a robust assay for the detection of chromosomal translocations. The method includes highly multiplexed PCR with analysis of the PCR products performed by array detection. As proof of principle, we applied this approach to the detection of IGH@-BCL2 translocations in DNA prepared from FFPE specimens. This translocation and specimen type were chosen because of the known difficulties associated with PCR-based detection of this lesion and the additional loss of sensitivity associated with FFPE samples. The multiplex PCR with array detection method detected the IGH@-BCL2 translocation in 26 of 36 FFPE follicular lymphoma specimens, whereas the BIOMED-2 assay detected 13 of 36 specimens. This increased sensitivity was the result of both the increased density of BCL2 primers and identification of PCR products by low-density array. The method was specific and allowed mapping of the BCL2 break point in all cases. The method detected the IGH@-BCL2 lesion when the tumor DNA was diluted more than 1:20 in normal DNA but not when it was diluted more than 1:100. This sensitivity allows detection of diagnostically relevant levels of IGH@-BCL2 but will not detect the rare cells with IGH@-BCL2 translocations in healthy individuals.
Force–displacement measurements of earlywood bordered pits using a mesomechanical tester

The elastic properties of pit membranes are reported to have important implications in understanding air-seeding phenomena in gymnosperms, and pit aspiration plays a large role in wood technological applications such as wood drying and preservative treatment. Here we present force-displacement measurements for pit membranes of circular bordered pits, collected on a mesomechanical testing system. The system consists of a quartz microprobe attached to a microforce sensor that is positioned and advanced with a micromanipulator mounted on an inverted microscope. Membrane displacement is measured from digital image analysis. Unaspirated pits from earlywood of never-dried wood of Larix and Pinus and aspirated pits from earlywood of dried wood of Larix were tested to generate force-displacement curves up to the point of membrane failure. Two failure modes were observed: rupture or tearing of the pit membrane by the microprobe tip, and the stretching of the pit membrane until the torus was forced out of the pit chamber through the pit aperture without rupture, a condition we refer to as torus prolapse.
Multi-stream confidence analysis for audio-visual affect recognition

Changes in a speaker’s emotion are a fundamental component in human communication. Some emotions motivate human actions while others add deeper meaning and richness to human interactions. In this paper, we explore the development of a computing algorithm that uses audio and visual sensors to recognize a speaker’s affective state. Within the framework of Multi-stream Hidden Markov Model (MHMM), we analyze audio and visual observations to detect 11 cognitive/emotive states. We investigate the use of individual modality confidence measures as a means of estimating weights when combining likelihoods in the audio-visual decision fusion. Person-independent experimental results from 20 subjects in 660 sequences suggest that the use of stream exponents estimated on training data results in classification accuracy improvement of audio-visual affect recognition.
National Park Service Operational Leader AMK Ranch (UW-NPS Research Center)

On May 30 and 31, 2012, a group of 18 National Park Service employees convened at AMK Ranch to learn the principles of Operation Leadership. Operational Leadership, at its core, is a systematic process that assists individuals in making informed decisions to reduce and manage risk in the workplace. Operational leadership is about each employee becoming a leader within his or her own job, taking responsibility for his or her own safety and the safety of coworkers, and learning to work effectively in a team environment. It pertains to every job skill and empowers employees to be assertive about their safety and the safety of their team.
Neonatal Pial Surface Electroporation

Over the past several years the pial surface has been identified as a germinal niche of importance during embryonic, perinatal and adult neuro- and gliogenesis, including after injury. However, methods for genetically interrogating these progenitor populations and tracking their lineages had been limited owing to a lack of specificity or time consuming production of viruses. Thus, progress in this region has been relatively slow with only a handful of investigations of this location. Electroporation has been used for over a decade to study neural stem cell properties in the embryo, and more recently in the postnatal brain. Here we describe an efficient, rapid, and simple technique for the genetic manipulation of pial surface progenitors based on an adapted electroporation approach. Pial surface electroporation allows for facile genetic labeling and manipulation of these progenitors, thus representing a time-saving and economical approach for studying these cells.
Aging: Stopping the clock

Two genes that control dauer formation in the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans have direct effects on senescence.
Colectomy for slow transit constipation: effective for patients with coexistent obstructed defecation

Patient selection is a crucial step when considering total abdominal colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis (TAC/IRA) for refractory constipation. This study aimed to evaluate the results of short- and long-term outcomes for patients with pure slow transit constipation (STC) compared to those with slow transit and features of obstructive defecation (STC + OD). This study included all patients who underwent TAC/IRA for constipation from 1999–2010. Patients were divided into two groups: group A (STC) and group B (STC + OD) based on abnormal physiology or motility testing in addition to the surgeon's clinical impression of symptomatic obstructive defecation. Demographics, operative variables, and short-term outcomes were collected by retrospective chart review and were compared between groups. Long-term functional outcomes were assessed by telephone survey. This included: number of bowel movements, use of laxatives, antidiarrheal medications, and surgery satisfaction. Validated questionnaires were collected postoperatively. One hundred forty-four patients (143 females; mean age, 40 (18–68) years old) underwent TAC/IRA by either laparoscopic (63 (44 %)) or open (81 (56 %)) techniques. One hundred three patients had pure STC and 41 had STC + OD. Four patients underwent TAC with end ileostomy at first procedure. Seven patients underwent surgery after a trial of diverting ileostomy. One patient died unexpectedly, 2 days after uneventful surgery. Median follow-up was 43 (IQR, 16–75) months. Five (5 %) patients in group A and two (5 %) in group B underwent subsequent ileostomy for poor functional outcomes. Eighty-eight (68 %) patients were available by telephone. Short- and long-term outcomes were equivalent in both groups as well as patient satisfaction (89 vs. 85 %, p = 0.7). Total abdominal colectomy can be offered to selective patients with slow transit constipation and obstructive defecation with equivalent long-term results.
Micro-/macro-pulsatile gonadotropin secretion in male subhuman primate during sexual development

Systematic longitudinal and cross-sectional studies to characterize changes in 24 h secretory patterns of LH/FSH have not been done. We report pulsatile LH/FSH and GnRH stimulation in monkeys: 5-10 mo., 14-24 mo. and adult >5 yr. Some monkeys were castrated at birth and later to determine when testicular negative feedback was restored. Monkeys (N=22) were fitted with a vest and mobile tether permitting chronic cannulation; blood was drawn at 15 min intervals over 24 h without anesthesia. Pulsatile LH/FSH occurred as: 1) micro-pulses with amplitudes 2X. LH/FSH and testosterone (T) were measured by RIA. Throughout, FSH secretion occurred as a steady state undulating pattern with infrequent macro-pulses in both prepubertal and adult monkeys; in adults, there was ↑ frequency of FSH micro-pulses. In contrast, occasional LH macro-pulses occurred in prepubertal animals and LH micro-pulses at all ages. GnRH stimulation showed ↑ T response at 24 mo. LH/FSH secretion associated with normal sexual development was highly individual; uniformly the amplitude and frequency of LH/FSH pulses varied. Among eunuchs markedly dichotomous patterns were apparent. Those who advanced into "puberty" had ↑ LH/FSH; LH micro- and macro-pulses (up to 5X) and ↑ FSH were seen throughout. These data indicate that changes in frequency and amplitude of LH/FSH pulsatile secretion correlate with testicular maturation.
Effects of Buspirone on Agitation Associated With Dementia

Ten patients with probable Alzheimer's disease participated in an open-label study of buspirone for agitation. The starting dose of 15 mg/day was increased by 5 mg every week until maximal improvement or 60 mg/day was reached. A significant decrease in agitation scores occurred at an average dose of 35 mg/day.
Early visual cortex organization in autism: an fMRI study

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by preserved visual abilities as well as a special pro¢le for visual cognition. We examined the visual cortex of high-ability individuals with autism in order to assess whether the presence of abnormalities at the primary sensory level in autism could be the basis of their unusual pattern of visual cognitive abilities. We found that the early sensory visual areas are normally organized in individuals with autism, with a normal ratio between central versus peripheral visual ¢eld representation. We conclude that the diierences observed in the visual capacities of individuals with autism are likely to arise from higher-level cognitive areas and functions, and are the result of top-down processes. NeuroReport 15:267^270 � c 2004 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.