cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety in Children With High-Functioning Autism: A Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Anxiety is a common and impairing problem in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is emerging evidence that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) could reduce anxiety in children with high-functioning ASD. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the evidence of using CBT to treat anxiety in children and adolescents with ASD. Methods for this review were registered with PROSPERO (CRD42012002722). METHODS: We included randomized controlled trials published in English in peer-reviewed journals comparing CBT with another treatment, no treatment control, or waitlist control. Two authors independently screened 396 records obtained from database searches and hand searched relevant journals. Two authors independently extracted and reconciled all data used in analyses from study reports. RESULTS: Eight studies involving 469 participants (252 treatment, 217 comparison) met our inclusion criteria and were included in meta-analyses. Overall effect sizes for clinician- and parent-rated outcome measures of anxiety across all studies were d = 1.19 and d = 1.21, respectively. Five studies that included child self-report yielded an average d = 0.68 across self-reported anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Parent ratings and clinician ratings of anxiety are sensitive to detecting treatment change with CBT for anxiety relative to waitlist and treatment-as-usual control conditions in children with high-functioning ASD. Clinical studies are needed to evaluate CBT for anxiety against attention control conditions in samples of children with ASD that are well characterized with regard to ASD diagnosis and co-occurring anxiety symptoms. * Abbreviations: ADIS-C — : Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule–Child Version ADIS-P — : Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule–Parent Version ASD — : autism spectrum disorder CASI — : Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory–4 ASD Anxiety Scale CBT — : cognitive-behavior therapy ES — : effect size OCD — : obsessive-compulsive disorder PARS — : Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale RCMAS — : Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale SCAS — : Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale TAU — : treatment as usual
Modeling the Effects of Climate Change on Disease Severity: A Case Study of Ceratonova (syn Ceratomyxa) shasta in the Klamath River

Shifts in future temperature and precipitation patterns will have profound effects on host-parasite interactions and the dynamics of disease in freshwater systems. The aims of this chapter are to present an overview of myxozoan disease dynamics in the context of climate change, and to illustrate how these might be predicted over the next several decades by developing a case study of disease dynamics of Ceratonova (syn Ceratomyxa) shasta in the Klamath River, California USA. Our case study introduces a model ensemble for predicting changes in disease dynamics under different climate scenarios (warm/dry, moderate/median, and cool/wet) from 2020 to 2060. The ensemble uses Global Circulation Models (GCMs) and basin scaled models for the Klamath River to generate predictions for future water temperature and river discharge. The environmental data are used as inputs for a predictive model and a degree day model to simulate effects of climate change on polychaete host populations and on C. shasta spore viability, respectively. Outputs from these models were then used to parameterize an epidemiological model to predict changes in disease dynamics under each climate scenario. The epidemiological model outputs were measured against baselines established using real data for low (2006), high (2008) and intermediate (2011) disease risk years. In general, the epidemiological model predicts that except for infrequent high discharge years, C. shasta dynamics will be similar to the high disease risk baseline (2008). This suggests that the recovery and management of Klamath River salmon will continue to be impacted by C. shasta.
Shock consolidation of nanocrystalline 6061-T6 aluminum powders

Abstract Fully and partially nanocrystalline aluminum alloy powders made by cryomilling and plane-strain machining are dynamically consolidated into bulk compacts using a three-capsule gas-gun compaction geometry. Compacts with 98–99% theoretical mass density are produced, while retaining unique features of their initial microstructures. The microstructure of the fully nanocrystalline cryomilled powder compacts consists of 50–150 nm-thick elongated laths and 10–50 nm equiaxed grains. Partially nanocrystalline plane-strain machined powder compacts retain their bimodal microstructure composed of nanoscale grains near the particle surfaces and larger microscale grains with high dislocation densities in the particle interior. In this paper, the powder processing and compaction approach, and their effects on the physical, microstructural, and mechanical properties of the final compacts are described.
Obstacles to long‐term soil moisture monitoring with heated distributed temperature sensing

The field deployment of a heated distributed temperature sensor (DTS) for over three years has revealed two obstacles to estimating soil moisture (θ) that may hamper subsurface DTS applications as well as use of other subsurface thermal probes. The first observed obstacle was a hysteretic response of the DTS sensor. The relationship between θ and the temperature response (∆T) within the cable was not only dependent on θ of the soil, but also on the previous wetting and drying cycles leading to that state. The second observed obstacle was soil structure healing. Soil structure healing causes the relationship between ∆T and θ to evolve through time; this calibration curve becomes flatter, or less sensitive, as the surrounding soil makes better contact with the cable. Effects of the hysteretic response of the instrument and soil structure healing are largely the result of small gaps between the cable and soil. These small gaps can be approximated by a contact resistance between the cable and soil. In this article we characterize the occurrence of hysteretic and soil structure healing effects from field data and parameterize contact resistance by simulating heat transfer using a numerical modelling approach Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Geoacoustic Inversion Using Backpropagation

This paper presents inversion results of the 2006 Shallow Water Experiment (SW06) data measured on a vertical line array. A low-frequency (100-900 Hz) chirp source was towed along two tracks (circle, straight line) at 30-m depth. For the inversions, a three-step optimization scheme is applied to the data using very fast simulated reannealing (VFSR). The objective function is defined by the energy of the backpropagated signal from the array to the source. At each step, water-column sound-speed profile (SSP), experimental geometry, and geoacoustic parameters are inverted successively. An environmental model is employed consisting of a linear segmented SSP in the water column, a sediment layer, and a half-space. The geometric parameter inversion results show good agreement with in situ measurements. Finally, the estimated geoacoustic parameters show that the experimental site near the vertical line array (VLA) is fairly homogeneous in bottom properties consisting of a 21-m-thick sediment layer with sound speed of around 1600 m/s over a hard basement whose sound speed is approximately 1750 m/s.
The Modern Concept of the Procaryote

In their seminal work, Stanier and van Niel (47) proposed that bacteria are distinguished from other forms of life, including viruses, protists, fungi, algae, plants, and animals, by their procaryotic cell structure. They defined the procaryotic cell by three major criteria: the absence of internal membranes that compartmentalize the nuclear material and the enzymatic machinery for respiration and photosynthesis, nuclear division which occurs by fission and not mitosis, and the presence of peptidoglycan in the cell wall. They also recognized that procaryotes possess enormous diversity, similar in scope to that of eucaryotic protists, and further proposed that the procaryotes represent a distinct mode of evolutionary diversification parallel to that found in the eucaryotes (47). Thus, the procaryotic-eucaryotic dichotomy was founded upon the recognition of two very different types of cellular organisms and not the phylogenetic relationships between them. Recently, five major criticisms of the concept of the procaryote have been proposed (36, 55): it fundamentally contradicts the three-domain model of life, the procaryotes are not monophyletic, the procaryotes are defined by negative characteristics, the term procaryote “sustain[s] the concept that procaryotes evolved into eucaryotes,” and the term is imprecise. As shown below, these criticisms are misstatements of the original proposal and modern descriptions of the concept or otherwise erroneous (47, 27). In fact, since its original proposal in 1962, the experimental evidence for the procaryote concept has been enormously enriched. Today, the concept of the procaryote includes a much greater understanding of the molecular basis for the differences between procaryotic and eucaryotic cells. In addition, it recognizes the antiquity, abundance, and diversity of procaryotes. Procaryotes likely dominated life on the early earth for over a billion years prior to the appearance of eucaryotes. Today, the biomass of the procaryotes is comparable to that of eucaryotes. The procaryotes are also extremely diverse, and representatives of two ancient domains, Bacteria and Archaea, are common today. Each domain includes organisms with many different metabolic and physiological capabilities, and the number of species is correspondingly so large that it has never been estimated accurately. The procaryotic cell. The cellular organization of procaryotes is of fundamental importance to their physiological and biochemical processes, and their differences from those of
Automatic device layout generation for analog layout retargeting

This paper presents a technique for automatic active device layout generation and insertion incorporated in a layout retargeting tool-suite for analog integrated circuits. While the use of a graph-based symbolic template in the retargeting tool maintains the overall layout topology, layout symmetries, and embedded expertise of the designers, the device generator allows further optimization of active devices in terms of device width, length, and finger variables through template modification. Combining the device layout generator with a design-space exploration engine that searches for optimal sets of design variables satisfying performance requirements, a new automatic design reuse methodology is presented. Multiple high quality analog circuits corresponding to different target specifications are synthesized in less than an hour, and their layouts with different device sizes and structures are generated in less than a minute of CPU time.
Next generation electromagnetic optimization with the covariance matrix adaptation evolutionary strategy

Classical evolutionary strategies such as the genetic algorithm and particle swarm technique have long been the most called upon methods for optimization of electromagnetic design problems. Due to their capability for robust global search and their ease of implementation, they have been fruitfully applied to the design of antennas, arrays, frequency selective surfaces, metamaterials and other electromagnetic devices. Since then, many new optimization techniques have been developed that often allow more complex design problems to be tackled, or reduce the time needed to optimize the problems of the past. One algorithm found particularly effective is the covariance matrix adaptation evolutionary strategy (CMA-ES). The operation of CMA-ES will be covered in detail here. Additionally, the powerful performance of the technique when confronted with several different design problems and test functions will be demonstrated.
Ventrolateral origin of each cycle of rhythmic activity generated by the spinal cord of the chick embryo.

Background. The mechanisms responsible for generating rhythmic motor activity in the developing spinal cord of the chick embryo are poorly understood. Here we investigate whether the activity of motoneurons occurs before other neuronal populations at the beginning of each cycle of rhythmic discharge. Methodology/Principal Findings. The spatiotemporal organization of neural activity in transverse slices of the lumbosacral cord of the chick embryo (E8-E11) was investigated using intrinsic and voltage-sensitive dye (VSD) imaging. VSD signals accompanying episodes of activity comprised a rhythmic decrease in light transmission that corresponded to each cycle of electrical activity recorded from the ipsilateral ventral root. The rhythmic signals were widely synchronized across the cord face, and the largest signal amplitude was in the ventrolateral region where motoneurons are located. In unstained slices we recorded two classes of intrinsic signal. In the first, an episode of rhythmic activity was accompanied by a slow decrease in light transmission that peaked in the dorsal horn and decayed dorsoventrally. Superimposed on this signal was a much smaller rhythmic increase in transmission that was coincident with each cycle of discharge and whose amplitude and spatial distribution was similar to that of the VSD signals. At the onset of a spontaneously occurring episode and each subsequent cycle, both the intrinsic and VSD signals originated within the lateral motor column and spread medially and then dorsally. By contrast, following a dorsal root stimulus, the optical signals originated within the dorsal horn and traveled ventrally to reach the lateral motor column. Conclusions/Significance. These findings suggest that motoneuron activity contributes to the initiation of each cycle of rhythmic activity, and that motoneuron and/or R-interneuron synapses are a plausible site for the activity-dependent synaptic depression that modeling studies have identified as a critical mechanism for cycling within an episode.
Mechanistic Models Fit to Ed001 Data on >40,000 Trout Exposed to Dibenzo[A,L]Pyrene Indicate Mutations Do Not Drive Increased Tumor Risk

ED001-study data on increased liver and stomach tumor risks in >40,000 trout fed dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DBP), one of the most potently mutagenic chemical carcinogens known, provide the greatest low-dose dose-response resolution of any experimentally induced tumor data set to date. Although multistage somatic mutation/clonal-expansion cancer theory predicts that genotoxic carcinogens increase tumor risk in linear no-threshold proportion to dose at low doses, ED001 tumor data curiously exhibit substantial low-dose nonlinearity. To explore the role that nongenotoxic mechanisms may have played to yield such nonlinearity, the liver and stomach tumor data sets were each fit by two models that each assume a genotoxic and a nongenotoxic pathway to increased tumor risk: the stochastic 2-stage (MVK) cancer model, and a model implementing the more recent dysregulated adaptive hyperplasia (DAH) theory of tumorigenesis. MVK and DAH fits to the data sets were each excellent, but unexpectedly each MVK fit implies that DBP acts to increase tumor risk by entirely non-mutagenic mechanisms. Given that DBP is such a potent mutagen, the MVK-model fits obtained appear to be biologically implausible, whereas the DAH-model fits reflect that model’s assumption that chemical-induced tumorigenesis typically is driven by elevated repair-cell populations rather than mutations per se.
Performance of basic strategies for following gradients in two dimensions.

Computer models for following stimulus gradients in two-dimensional space were evaluated to determine the relative advantages of different strategies and to identify the issues that must be addressed in making such a comparison. The simulations were implemented with emphasis on making them as general and free of specific assumptions as possible. Performance was defined as progress along the gradient divided by the cost of the movements and time taken. Plausible values of costs were taken from data on animal energetics. The models also included various kinds of noise that limit performance. These included unintended variations and biases in motor outputs as well as sensory inputs. An initial guess at appropriate noise levels led to performance worse than that observed in experiments with leukocytes. Reduced noise levels gave good agreement. Under these, more appropriate, conditions, peak performance for the various models varied from 24 to 99% of the maximum possible. The threshold gradient required to provide performance equal to 1% of the maximum possible varied from 800 to 5000 searcher diameters per gradient decay length. Some models performed well only over a narrow range of gradients. There was no indication of a tradeoff between sensitivity to shallow gradients and high performance in steep gradients. The model of tropotaxis (simultaneous, spatial comparison) with movement in any direction was superior in having the lowest threshold, the highest maximum performance, requiring the fewest parameters to fit, and performed well over the widest range of gradients. This result suggests that amoeboid cells and echinoderms might be particularly well suited to following gradients. The modeling demonstrates the need to obtain quantitative estimates for a number of parameters (relating costs and noise levels) for a more rigorous understanding of the relative advantages of these different strategies.
Effects of the type of embolization particles on carboplatin concentration in liver tumors after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization in a rabbit model of liver cancer.

PURPOSE To study the effect of particle type used during transarterial hepatic chemoembolization (TACE) on carboplatin concentration after TACE in an animal model of liver cancer (VX2) and to determine the concentration of carboplatin within tumor, liver, and plasma. MATERIALS AND METHODS The VX2 tumors were grown in the livers of 23 rabbits. Carboplatin (5 mg/kg) was selected because of its known potency against VX2 tumor. Group 1 was treated with TACE with tris-acryl gelatin microspheres (100–300 μm), group 2 was treated with TACE with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA; 150–250 μm), group 3 (control) was treated with intraarterial saline solution, and group 4 (pharmacokinetic) was treated with intraarterial carboplatin. Animals were killed after 48 hours, and concentrations of carboplatin were measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy from samples of blood and liver (central and peripheral zones of tumor and nontumorous liver tissue). RESULTS In group 1 (tris-acryl gelatin microspheres) and group 2 (PVA), the mean carboplatin concentrations were 117 μg/g and 31.8 μg/g, respectively, within the central zone of the tumor and 38.5 μg/g versus 7.9 μg/g, respectively, in the peripheral zone. No carboplatin was detected in nontumorous liver tissue and plasma concentrations were low in both treated groups ( CONCLUSIONS Carboplatin concentration was significantly greater (by a factor of two to four) within the central zone of the tumor compared with the peripheral zone in both treated groups. The overall tumor carboplatin concentrations were significantly greater in the tris-acryl gelatin microsphere group than in the PVA group ( P
The Role of Time in Theory and Theory Building

Although time has been included in theory and theory building as a boundary condition, this paper argues that time can and should play a more important role because it can change the ontological description and meaning of a theoretical construct and of the relationships between constructs. We suggest that theorists explicitly incorporate multiple aspects of temporality into the “what, how, and why” building blocks of their theories. First, we describe six important time dimensions that we propose are especially relevant to theory building about people, groups, and organizations: the past, future, and present and the subjective experience of time; time aggregations; duration of steady states and rates of change; incremental versus discontinuous change; frequency, rhythms, and cycles; and spirals and intensity. Second, we put forward a series of time-related questions that can serve as a guide or template for improving theory building through the incorporation of temporality into the what, how, and why of t...
Characteristics and Provenance of Log-Transported Gravels in a Carboniferous Channel Deposit

ABSTRACT Gravel, ranging from pebble to boulder size, is preserved inside or dispersed among vitrinized logs within a coastal-channel sandstone sequence of the Upper Pottsville Formation, Black Warrior Basin, northwestern Alabama. The gravel was transported from extrabasinal areas to the coastal regime in log rafts composed of hollow trees. Pebble accumulations represent a partial infilling of the logs while they lay on a gravel-covered stream bed at extrabasinal sites. Cobbles and boulders were transported entrapped within root structures of trees introduced into the river, or may have been trapped on or within log rafts. Only a limited number of clasts were available for study because the mining bench from which they were collected was exposed for a limited time and is now reclaimed. A suite of 300 clasts consists of metamorphic rocks (phyllite, quartzite, schist, and gneiss), igneous rocks (granodiorite and pegmatitic quartz), and sedimentary rocks (coarse- to fine-grained subarkose). The dominance of low- and high-grade metamorphic, plutonic igneous, and sedimentary rocks, and the absence of volcanic or volcaniclastic rocks, indicates an intensely deformed and uplifted source area. When this suite of rocks is compared with the two possible orogenic sources, Ouachitas or southern Appalachian, the southern Appalachian orogen conforms best. This interpretation modifies presently accepted models and indicates an eastern expansion of the source area from the Ouachitas to the adjacent part of the Appalachians during the Early Pennsylvanian.
Luminescence Techniques for the Detection of Bacterial Pathogens

Luminescence-based techniques for the detection of microbial pathogens are extensively employed in industrial setting where the continuous monitoring of bacterial contamination is of great importance. The primary advantage of all luminescence-based assays is their rapidity and sensitivity. Here we describe two different types of luminescence systems that have been adapted for commercial use, bioluminescence (BL) and chemiluminescence (CL). BL is a naturally occurring process by which living organisms convert chemical energy into light. Light-emitting pathways have been identified in bacteria, insects, and other eukaryotic organisms. Bacterial (lux) systems have been extensively studied and have been engineered for a variety of purposes. In the most common adaptation of the lux genes for the microbial detection, luciferase reporter phages are constructed for the direct and specific identification of many bacterial species including Salmonella spp., Listeria, and E. coli O157:H7. Central to the lux reaction is that bioluminescence is dependent on higher-level energy intermediates, allowing levels of light to be correlated to changes in bacterial metabolism. The firefly (LUC) luciferase is also widely used in biotechnology. Since all living things possess intracellular pools of ATP, many applications of the LUC system capitalize on the ATP-dependency of this luminescence reaction for the detection of microbial populations in situ. The LUC system is also useful in determining the efficacy of sanitizing agents, as decreases in BL are proportional to the number of active bacteria within a defined matrix. Other eukaryotic luciferases, such as those from marine copepod Gaussia princeps and Jamican click beetle, are currently been explored as alternative means for bacterial detection in extreme environmental conditions, and in situations where the simultaneous detection of multiple bacterial species is desired. CL is generally defined as the production of light by chemicals during an exothermic reaction, and CL differs from BL in that light production is not catalyzed by biological reactions. Although not as widely used in industrial applications, CL is sometimes preferred to BL-based detection systems due to the relative simplicity of the reaction and the elimination of certain steps sometimes required for the optimization of BL. CL has been used mainly for the detection of foodborne pathogens in combination with immunoassays. Using CL-linked antibodies specific for certain bacterial antigens, allows the simultaneous detection of E. coli O157:H7, Yersinia enterocolitica, Salmonella typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes. Luminescence-based techniques are proven effective agents in the detection of contaminating microbial populations, and with increases in the sensitivity and simplicity of such techniques, their application in numerous industrial and commercial settings will only grow.
Preface to Special Topic on Protein Dynamics: Beyond Static Snapshots in Structural Biology.

As structural biology moves beyond the over dependence on the static snapshots to a deeper understanding of the role of dynamics in the function of the molecules, it has never been more apparent that experiment, theory, and simulation must be all considered together in our discourse. This special issue of Structural Dynamics is devoted to the subject of protein dynamics and comprises articles that span these areas nicely and show how the combined information coming from them has completely changed the field. The papers include descriptions of new experimental crystallographic evidence on the flexibility of loop dynamics in an enzyme involved in natural product biosynthesis (Han et al., 2016); the effects of quaternary structure on the dynamics of pilin as measured by HD exchange methods (Lento et al., 2016) and as predicted by simulations in hemoglobins (Gupta and Meuwly, 2016); efficient methods for constraining atomic level molecular dynamics trajectories (Chandrasekaran et al., 2016), theory and simulations of assembly of complicated fibrous structures in muscle contraction (Fischer et al., 2016); and theoretical methods for defining sections of proteins that form fairly rigid segments as a dimensionality reduction tool (Streinu, 2016).
High-Risk Factors for Melanoma Metastasis

Survival from melanoma varies greatly depending on the characteristics of the subject and the tumor. The purpose of this chapter is to summarize the factors associated with melanoma metastasis and poor survival. The risk factors are presented according to the staging system developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC). There are four distinct stages of cutaneous melanoma, with different risk factors for each stage, although the factors for stages I and II are often combined.
Licensing of Centromeric Chromatin Assembly through the Mis18α-Mis18β Heterotetramer

Centromeres are specialized chromatin domains specified by the centromere-specific CENP-A nucleosome. The stable inheritance of vertebrate centromeres is an epigenetic process requiring deposition of new CENP-A nucleosomes by HJURP. We show HJURP is recruited to centromeres through a direct interaction between the HJURP centromere targeting domain and the Mis18α-β C-terminal coiled-coil domains. We demonstrate Mis18α and Mis18β form a heterotetramer through their C-terminal coiled-coil domains. Mis18α-β heterotetramer formation is required for Mis18BP1 binding and centromere recognition. S. pombe contains a single Mis18 isoform that forms a homotetramer, showing tetrameric Mis18 is conserved from fission yeast to humans. HJURP binding disrupts the Mis18α-β heterotetramer and removes Mis18α from centromeres. We propose stable binding of Mis18 to centromeres in telophase licenses them for CENP-A deposition. Binding of HJURP deposits CENP-A at centromeres and facilitates the removal of Mis18, restricting CENP-A deposition to a single event per cell cycle.
Theoretical and Experimental Description of Interface Structure

We define the Interface between two dissimilar materials by two functions, g(z) and f(x,y), representing the diffuseness along the interface normal and the distribution of interface non-planarities respectively. We show how these functions may be measured for the case of epitaxial interfaces between dissimilar crystals by quantitative analysis of lattice structure images obtained by high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Experimental examples are drawn from the GeSi/Si, InGaAs/InAlAs and InGaAs/InP systems. Correlations between interface structure and optical and electronic properties of these systems are discussed.
Group identification of streptococci. Evaluation of three rapid agglutination methods.

The clinical need to rapidly and correctly differentiate betahemolytic streptococci into Lancefield groups has prompted the commercialization of rapid agglutination methods. Three serogrouping kits, Phadebact, Sero STAT, and Streptex, were compared with the classic precipitin technic. One hundred and fifty beta-hemolytic streptococci and 75 alpha-hemolytic streptococci isolated from clinical specimens were used. Phadebact grouped all beta-hemolytic strains correctly while Sero STAT anbd Streptex were 96.7% and 99.3% accurate, respectively. Phadebact and Streptex correctly identified all group D streptococci. Commercial agglutination reagents represent a simple and reliable method for grouping streptococci.
Natural products in medicine: transformational outcome of synthetic chemistry.

This review brings to the forefront key synthetic modifications on natural products (NPs) that have yielded successful drugs. The emphasis is placed on the power of targeted chemical transformations in enhancing the therapeutic value of NPs through optimization of pharmacokinetics, stability, potency, and/or selectivity. Multiple classes of NPs such as macrolides, opioids, steroids, and β-lactams used to treat a variety of conditions such as cancers, infections, inflammation are exemplified. Molecular modeling or X-ray structures of NP/protein complexes supporting the observed boost in therapeutic value of the modified NPs are also discussed. Significant advancement in synthetic chemistry, in structure determination, and in the understanding of factors controlling pharmacokinetics can now better position drug discovery teams to undertake NPs as valuable leads. We hope that the beneficial NPs synthetic modifications outlined here will reignite medicinal chemists’ interest in NPs and their derivatives.
The role of adjunctive nephrectomy in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

AbstractThe results of therapy for 78 patients with disseminated renal cell carcinoma are evaluated. Symptoms related to the primary tumor were noted in only 28 per cent of the patients and were not difficult to manage in those patients not undergoing nephrectomy. Adjunctive nephrectomy, therefore, is a more appropriate term than palliative nephrectomy when referring to removal of the primary tumor as part of an aggressive combined therapeutic approach. Of patients receiving an adjunctive nephrectomy those with osseous metastases only had a better 1-year survival rate (36 per cent) than those with metastases to other sites (18 per cent). Complete regression of metastases was noted in 12 per cent of patients treated with medroxyprogesterone acetate and adjunctive nephrectomy. The role of adjunctive nephrectomy combined with embolic infarction, hormonal therapy, chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy is discussed.
Collusion Under Risk Aversion and Fixed Costs

We analyze collusion under demand uncertainty by risk-averse cartels that care about the utility derived from profits. With sufficient risk aversion and non-trivial fixed operating costs, it becomes difficult for cartels to collusively restrict output both when demand is low and marginal dollars are highly valued, and when demand is high and potential defection profits are high: output relative to monopoly levels becomes a U-shaped function of demand. Greater risk aversion or higher fixed operating costs make collusion more difficult to support in recessions, but easier to support in booms.
Economies of Score

To introduce a novel generalization of economies of scope, the paper develops a theory of average cost reductions based on enabling products to have multiple features or functions. The process is labelled economies of score. Focusing production costs on the details of product features can lead to more significant average cost reductions relative to standard economies of scope and scale. The multifeatured product is a network graph represented with a binary decision diagram that describes product feature integration for each product. A feature equilibrium is defined. Evidence suggests that the approach is apt for describing smartphone-app industrial organization.
The Symbolic Uses of Effects: Notes on the Television Violence Inquiries and the Legitimation of Mass Communications Research

(1981). The Symbolic Uses of Effects: Notes on the Television Violence Inquiries and the Legitimation of Mass Communications Research. Annals of the International Communication Association: Vol. 5, Communication Yearbook 5, pp. 385-404.
Implementation of patient pagers in radiation oncology waiting rooms for patient privacy and satisfaction.

In order to improve privacy, quality, and coordination of care, a patient pager system was introduced to notify patients of daily treatment in the Department of Radiation Oncology. One hundred patients undergoing daily radiation therapy prospectively participated in a six-question survey addressing the paging service, privacy prior to pager use, and demographics. Twelve radiation therapists also participated in a survey addressing privacy and workflow. Survey results from all patient participants revealed that convenience, privacy, ease of use, desire for use for consults and return visits were highly rated as very good to excellent. The top three categories were “ease of use,” “convenience” and “privacy.” Nineteen patients had the experience of our waiting room prior to introduction of the patient pagers and highly rated “privacy,” “efficiency,” and “satisfaction.” Twelve radiation therapists participated and rated workflow related categories fair to good. Only patient privacy was rated as very good to excellent. Thus, patients and staff highly rated the paging system for privacy protection and satisfaction. However, it did not change overall workflow. Our study shows clinics should prioritize privacy in the waiting room to address the emotional needs of patients and improve satisfaction.
A Survey of Automated Threaded Fastening

Threaded fasteners are prevalent throughout modern manufacturing. Thus, as the demand for automation in manufacturing increases, so does the demand for automated threaded fastening systems. However, many fundamental issues and engineering challenges still hinder robustness in automation, particularly for smaller screws and critical product finishing requirements. This paper surveys the state of the art in threaded fastening automation and discusses open questions for further research. This survey covers the following areas: 1) fundamentals of threaded fastening, including basic concepts and definitions; 2) analysis of the entire assembly process (consisting of part feeding and orientation, pickup, alignment, and driving), including discussions of tools, control strategies, and other considerations; 3) failure modes and techniques to mitigate them; 4) threaded fastening systems and electromechanical approaches; and 5) open challenges and suggestions for future development. Understanding the current state of automation in threaded fastening will provide a foundation for researchers to advance this field. Note to Practitioners —This paper is motivated by the problem of an automated assembly of small screws, one of the most challenging problems in a smartphone assembly. It represents a rigorous review of robotic screwdriving literature to identify the state-of-the-art and open problems. The review material was targeted toward engineers working on related problems with the sponsor and has proved useful to them. To benefit researchers in the field of robotic and automated assembly, we have compiled the review material in the form of a survey paper. This paper covers theoretical fundamentals, tools, control and failure detection strategies, industrial applications, and open problems for robotic screwdriving. It provides a foundation for readers to familiarize themselves with the state of the art and conduct further research on this thread.
The Definition and Measurement of Oviposition Preference in Plant-Feeding Insects

For many plant-feeding insects, the selection of an ovipositon site is a critical stage in their choice of host. This is especially true when the newly hatched offspring are not capable of searching for additional hosts until they have fed on the individual chosen by their mother (but see Wint, 1983; Futuyma et al., 1984). An understanding of the physiological, behavioral, ecological, or evolutionary interactions between these insects and their hosts requires precise representation of the events and factors influencing oviposition. Ecologists and entomologists have tried to simplify the complex processes involved by using shorthand terms to represent abstract concepts that summerize the most pertinent variables. For example, insect preference and host acceptability summarize the array of factors determining the immediate outcome of a particular encounter between insect and plant, whereas larval performance, host suitability, and plant response to attack describe the subsequent consequences of oviposition. These and other concepts have been used in a variety of ways by different authors, many of whom have failed to define and distinguish among the terms they have used.
Behavioral Plasticity in Protozoans

It is perhaps obvious that investigations of aneural systems (particularly protozoans) can provide insight into problems concerning receptor-transducer mechanisms as well as the cellular control of both ciliary and contractile systems. For the biochemical homology which pervades the animal kingdom suggests that the neurons, receptor cells, muscle fibers, etc. of metazoans use molecular mechanisms similar to those employed by protozoans. In fact the generalized nature of unicellular organisms which, within the confines of one cell, contain the regulatory mechanisms necessary for the survival of an entire organism, further suggests that most protozoans will have cellular mechanisms similar to a wide variety of metazoan cell types.
Then Came the Fire: Personal Accounts From the Pentagon, 11 September 2001

Popular culture has come to represent the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, by the image of the crumbling twin towers of the World Trade Center. The concurrent attack on the Pentagon was no le...
Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine 2019

Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine 2019 carries forward the advances observed in 2018 as the pace in our field continues to accelerate. With a rising impact factor along with the number of pa...
Update in Rheumatology: Evidence Published in 2015

This Update summarizes studies published in 2015 that the authors consider highly relevant to the practice of rheumatology.
A Prospect Theoretical Extension of a Communication Game Under Jamming

In this paper, we consider how subjectivity affects the problem of reliable communication. To model subjective factor we formulate a prospect theoretical (PT) extension of a zero sum game involving a primary user (PU) that must communicate with one of n users, while avoiding being jammed by an adversary. We prove that the PT equilibrium strategies, which are generalizations of the Nash equilibrium, exist for any probability weighting functions that models the corresponding subjective factors. Moreover, the PT-equilibrium strategy for the adversary is unique, and it can be found in water-filling form. We establish conditions for the PT-equilibrium of the PU to be unique. If PT-equilibrium of the PU is not unique, then a continuum of PT-equilibria arise. All of the PT-equilibria are found in water-filling form, and a hierarchical relationship between the derived water-filling equations is established. Finally, the sensitivity of the PT equilibrium strategies to environmental parameters is theoretically proven and numerically illustrated.
Midterm Clinical and Radiographic Follow-Up of Pyrolytic Carbon PIP Arthroplasty.

Purpose The use of pyrolytic carbon arthroplasty (PCA) for the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint is controversial. The goal of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic midterm outcomes of PIP joint PCA. Methods Patients were contacted after PIP PCA at 6.4 ± 1.9 years (mean ± SD). Evaluation included grip and pinch strength and digital range of motion (ROM). Radiographs and patient reported outcomes surveys were obtained. Results This study included 29 PIP joint PCA devices implanted in 23 hands among 19 patients. Seven devices underwent subsequent procedures. Three were removed and revised to silicone implants because of 2 dislocations and one implant migration. One underwent revision to a larger distal component. Three required soft tissue surgical revisions in which the implant was retained (one flexor digitorum superficialis tenodesis and 2 capsulectomies). At the time of latest follow-up, there was 86.2% original implant survivorship. The most recent radiographic review of the remaining 26 implants revealed 2 swan neck deformities and 2 implant migrations. Postoperative grip (38.4 ± 16.8 lb) and pinch (13.8 ± 2.7 lb) strength were 92% and 91%, respectively, of nonsurgical grip and pinch strength. Final mean ROM (range) for the metacarpophalangeal joint was 82.1° (60° to 100°) and for the PIP joint was 60.6° (20° to 110°). Mean outcome scores were: visual analog scale, 1.6 (± 2.4), Michigan Hand Questionnaire, 71.6 (± 17.6), and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand, 24.7 (± 14.5). Conclusions Midterm follow-up (mean, 6.4 years) for 29 PCA implants in 19 patients revealed a surgical revision rate of 24.1%. Of the 29 implants, 13.8% were removed at a mean of 4.6 years (range, 1.3–7.9 years). Strength, ROM, and pain relief were all satisfactory. Type of study/level of evidence Prognostic IV.
Empowered Women Empowering Women: The Portrayal of Women's Relationships in Feminist Autobiography

While research has been done on how different facets of one’s identity can shape the way they deploy literary tactics in lifewriting, little research has examined the way that lesbian autobiographers tell their stories. Current research does not properly address how and why lesbian autobiographers choose to discuss their relationships to other women, in platonic, romantic, and sexual ways. This project expands on that topic by analyzing the scrapbook and memoir of Kansas City lesbian-feminist activist Chris Almvig, titled “Recollections of Flying Out of the Closet: Lake of the Ozarks and Kansas City, 1972–1974.” Almvig’s works are unique because of how much private information Almvig gives about other women in her life. Studying Almvig’s work is thus necessary to fully understand the rhetorical and literary choices of marginalized LGBT+ women.
Preliminary evaluation of surface mesh modeling of system geometry, anatomy phantom, and source activity for GATE simulations

Simulation studies have been essential for development of SPECT imaging systems. GATE is one of the most commonly used simulation toolkits in nuclear medicine. This software package allows the users to build system geometries and phantoms based on primitive objects such as cylinder, sphere, and cube. However, modeling systems with complex geometry is challenging, if not impossible using these primitive volumes. The latest GATE release addressed this issue by allowing the users to import surface meshes created in a computer aided design software thus enabling accurate simulation of complex system or phantom geometries. In this study we present our GATE mesh-based simulations of a next-generation multi-pinhole SPECT system for the clinical brain imaging, called AdaptiSPECT-C. An additional challenge with the AdaptiSPECT-C is that the volume of the standard voxelized XCAT phantom overlaps with the spherical collimator plate. In order to address this issue, we developed a mesh modeling of the XCAT human phantom by directly using the native XCAT nurbs data, which also provided a more accurate representation of the anatomy. Two approaches for simulating mesh-based activity source were developed and evaluated. The first method consisted of using an acceptance/rejection criterion confining a cubical source into the mesh object and the second one was based on a conversion of a mesh-based volume into a voxelized object. Although the two strategies led to very similar results, the voxelized-mesh approach was significantly faster in computation time. We successfully imported and simulated in GATE a complete SPECT acquisition incorporating an STL representation of system, phantom anatomy, and activity source.
Heart Transplant Candidate Who Required Extra-Corporal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)

The HLA laboratory typically requires 4–5 h to perform HLA typing studies and fluorescence/flow cytometric crossmatch (FCXM), therefore, the heart is typically transplanted prior to knowing the confirmatory typing and FCXM results The FCXM is therefore known as a “retrospective” study, yet remains critically important for further decision making The FCXM is performed by incubating donor lymphocytes with patient/recipient serum, and using an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody to identify T lymphocytes and an anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody to identify B lymphocytes. Human antibodies from the recipient serum binding to proteins expressed on the donor lymphocytes are detected using an anti-human IgG antibody Detection of C4d deposition in endomyocardial biopsy confirms antibody-mediated rejection
Septin Roles and Mechanisms in Organization of Endothelial Cell Junctions

Septins play an important role in regulating the barrier function of the endothelial monolayer of the microvasculature. Depletion of septin 2 protein alters the organization of vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin at cell-cell adherens junctions as well as the dynamics of membrane protrusions at endothelial cell-cell contact sites. Here, we report the discovery that localization of septin 2 at endothelial cell junctions is important for the distribution of a number of other junctional molecules. We also found that treatment of microvascular endothelial cells with the inflammatory mediator TNF-alpha led to sequestration of septin 2 away from cell junctions and into the cytoplasm, without an effect on the overall level of septin 2 protein. Interestingly, TNF-alpha treatment of endothelial monolayers produced effects similar to those of depletion of septin 2 on various molecular components of adherens junctions (AJs) and tight junctions (TJs). Immunofluorescence staining revealed disruption of the integrity of AJs and TJs at cell-cell junctions without significant changes in protein expression except for VE-cadherin and nectin-2. To investigate the mechanism of junctional localization of septin 2, we mutated the polybasic motif of septin 2, which is proposed to interact with PIP2 in the plasma membrane. Overexpression of PIP2-binding mutant (PIP2BM) septin 2 led to loss of septin 2 from cell junctions with accumulation in the cytoplasm. This redistribution of septin 2 away from the membrane led to effects on cell junction molecules similar to those observed for depletion of septin 2. We conclude that septin localization to the membrane is essential for function and that septins support the localization of multiple cell junction molecules in endothelial cells.